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 #:
000502
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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480 William H. Swansoinl, Cross Examination. Q. Who was he? A. Mr. Baird. Q. Who is he and what does he do, what is he an officer of? A. Mr. Baird is, or was, as I remember, in the manufacturing of repair parts for machines, in fact, I guess he has built complete machines for some concern. He terms his business "machinery business." Q. Were you an officer of the Film Service Association in 1908? A. Yes, I was a director and an executive committeeman. Q. Did that company issue bulletins? A. I was also chairman — yes, I was an officer in 1908. Q. Chairman of the Executive Committee? A. Temporary chairman of the organization for several months. Q. You were a member of the Executive Committee? A. Yes, sir. Q. Were you the chairman of the Executive Committee? A. No, sir. Q. Who was? A. The President of the association, Mr. James Clark. Q. Then when you were acting temporary chairman of the association you were ex officio chairman of the Executive Committee? A. Yes, sir, during that period I was. Q. Now, would that association issue bulletins of information to the various exchanges? A. It did, yes, sir. Q. And what part did you take in the preparation of those bulletins, if any? A. The Executive Committee, as it was termed, which was nothing more or less than the Board of Directors, of course, would meet from time to time in the City of New York, and pass resolutions, and the bulletins were then gotten out and written solely under the supervision of the Secretary, Mr. MacDonald, from the extracts of those minutes. Q. Wrould your name appear upon any of those bulletins? A. It might in a printed form, perhaps. Q. But don't you know whether it did or not appear in any form? A. I can't recall. Q. Whether printed or whether it was not? A. I would judge, however, that it would not. Q. You were a member of the Executive Committee, and for a time President of the association and ex officio President of the Executive Committee, and you want to tell us now that you don't know whether you signed any of those bulletins or not? A. I didn't say I didn't know; you asked