In the District Court of the United States, for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, the United States of America, petitioner, vs. Motion Picture Patents Company, et al., defendants (1913)

Record Details:

Title:
In the District Court of the United States, for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, the United States of America, petitioner, vs. Motion Picture Patents Company, et al., defendants
Date:
1913
Publisher:
New York, Appeal Printing Co.
Volume:
In the District Court of the United States, for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, the United States of America, petitioner, vs. Motion Picture Patents Company, et al., defendants : record volume 1
Leaf #:
000124
Language:
English
Collection:
Government & Law and Early Cinema
Format:
Periodicals
Contributor:
The Museum of Modern Art Library, New York
Sponsor:
Media History Digital Library
Coordinator:
Media History Digital Library
Description:
These seven volumes contain the testimonies and supporting documents from the U.S. District Court's antitrust lawsuit against the Motion Picture Patents Company (MPPC). Formed in 1908, the MPPC (sometimes referred to asœ"the Edison Trust" or just "the Trust") sought to control the American film industry through pooling patents and demanding that producers and exhibitors acquire licenses to those patents. Independent producers and exhibitors, who refused to license the patents, argued that the MPPC was an unlawful monopoly. In 1912 and 1913, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania heard testimonies from both MPPC members, such as Siegmund Lubin, and "Independents" who later became Hollywood moguls, such as William Fox. Ultimately, in 1915, the case reached the U.S. Supreme Court, which found the MPPC in violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act and spelled the end for the already weakening MPPC. -- Eric Hoyt, 2012
Date Added:
May 23, 2024
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102 Bulletins to Exhibitors. 1 Petitioners Exhibit No. 40. MOTION PICTURE PATENTS COMPANY 80 Fifth Avenue New York City Dear Sir: — Your favor at hand. We wish to assure you, that before issuing any further licenses in your locality, we will carefully investigate the conditions prevailing there, in accordance with our policy, and afford you all the protection possible in this respect. Yours very truly, MOTION PICTURE PATENTS COMPANY. Petitioner's Exhibit No. 41. MOTION PICTURE PATENTS COMPANY 80 Fifth Avenue New York City Frank L. Dyer, President EL N. Marvin, Vice-President J. J. Kennedy, Treasurer George F. Scull, Secretary D. Macdonald, General Manager Telephone, 545G Chelsea Dear Sir: — Your letter at hand, in which you ask for the return of your initiation fee for license. We regret to say, that in this instance, as per our formal notification, you were accepted as a licensee, your money applied to license and deposited in the bank and lor the period you had all the ad