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 #:
000348
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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326 William Pelzer, Direct Examination. ment of the net profits for the years 1910, and 1911, and I am unable to give any statement of the net profits for the year 1912, since the books have not advanced far enough for 1912 to permit of that being calculated. The statement referred to and produced by the witness is entitled "Statement of Net Profits of General Film Company/' and marked "B," is as follows : ifD" STATEMENT OF NET PROFITS OF GENERAL FILM CO. June 6, 1910 to December 31, 1910 | 160,616.15 Year 1911 1,118,226.42 $1,278,842.57 *Books not closed. No advance figures. The Witness : I next produce a statement of dividends paid on preferred and common stock for the calendar years, 1910, 1911 and 1912. Q. Of the General Film Company? A. Yes. Q. All of those statements refer to the General Film Company? A. Yes. (The statement referred to and produced by the witness is entitled "Statement of Dividends paid on Preferred and Common Stock of General Film Company," and marked "C," is as follows) :