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 #:
000126
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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3 104 Bulletins to Exhibitors. (Eed circular seal) (inclosing words) Motion Picture Patents por any breach or violation of any Company 0f the above conditions, the license Incorporated hereby granted may be cancelled Sept. 9, and withdrawn, and in such case 1908 the Motion Picture Patents Corn New Jersey. pany shall have the right to pro ceed against said ma-chines for infringement of said patents. THIS LICENSE NOT VALID AFTER JUNE 30, 1909. MOTION PICTURE PATENTS COMPANY Attest : George F. Scull By Secretary. Frank L. Dyer President. Petitioner's Exhibit No. 43 New Permanent Address, 80 Fifth Avenue, New York. February 15, 1909. MOTION PICTURE PATENTS COMPANY Exhibitors Bulletin — No. 1. To Licensed Exhibitors: Dear Sirs: Your application for a license has been acted upon favorably and a license certificate, if you have not already received it, should reach you within a few days. This certificate should be displayed in a prominent place in your theatre.