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 #:
000252
Language:
English
Collection:
Early Cinema and Government & Law
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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230 Harry N. Marvin, Direct Examination. years of experimenting and research? A. Oh, yes. Yes, I know that. Q, The composition of it is most important, isn't it? A. Yes, but the film may be made of an entirely different composition which perhaps may be as good as that film. Q. In 1008, was there any other film in this country which was made, which could be used successfully for moving pictures? A. Oh, yes, any quantity of it. Q. Bjt whom was it made? A. Made by Luniere in France, and imported into this country, and there were several other European manufacturers who were trying to find a market here for film. Sending over samples. Claiming results equal to Eastman. Some people claimed that Luniere's film was superior for making motion picture negatives to the Eastman film. Q. Will you go back to the question, and read it? The stenographer repeats the question to witness. Q. When I say "made," I mean made in this country. Was there any film made in this country? A. I do not think anybody but Eastman at that time was making commercial motion picture films in this country. The other supply came from abroad, but I understood your question to be, "was there any film in this country ?" Q. Do you know of any kind of material other than this transparent or translucent film which can be used for the production of moving pictures, which will receive a picture? A. I know of other material besides the celluloid material used commonly in the production of the ordinary Eastman film. Mr. Eastman some time ago put out a film with a nitrocellulose base, which was entirely different from the celluloid base of the other film. Q. That is within two years, two or three years? A. Yes. Q. That is since 1908? A. Yes, and I understand that there are foreign manufacturers who are making film with still a different base. I do not know the composition of it. Q. When you get, Mr. Marvin, a supply of film from the Eastman Company, what do you do with it when you get it at your Biograph establishment? A. We use it. Q. ITow do you use it? A. Well, the film — Q. (Interrupting.) What do you do with it? A. The film is first perforated.