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)

Page scan 000523 from 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 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 #:
000523
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:
September 12, 2024
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William H. Swanson, Cross Examination. 501 and regulations he set aside and that the Association hereafter be conducted more as a general social and business men's association, with nominal dues of $25.00 per year, payable $12.50 semi-annually in advance. This decision was reached principally because of the fact that the Patents Company does not purpose to deal exclusively with the Association, but has licensed other exchanges than those in the Association. While the Company will give every consideration to the ideas and wishes of the Association members as expressed by their executive officers it will also give the same consideration to the individual opinions expressed by Exchanges dealing directly with the Patents Company, and will give an equal opportunity to all of its licensees whether members of the Association or not. DISTRIBUTION OF ASSOCIATION FUNDS. After the election of the new officers and just before they were installed the meeting decided, in view of the changed conditions in the Association, that the funds on deposit in the Association treasury be redistributed to the memberships in good standing. It was therefore voted to divide $15,500, which entitled each membership to receive the sum of $130. Following this $500 was voted to the Red Cross Society of America for the Italian sufferers, and the outgoing Treasurer was also instructed, by the unanimous vote of the meeting, to hand to Mr. Macdonald, the retiring Secretary, the Association's check for $1,000, as an expression of the Association's good will. A vote of thanks was given to the Executive Committee and to the Secretary, and the meeting decided that loving cups should be presented to the retiring officers as an expression of the Association's appreciation of their services. FINAL REPORT. The above outlines all the business transacted while the retiring officers of the Association were still in, and the above report completes the history of the Association's work up to the time when the present officers for 1009 took charge of the Association's affairs. It is left to the new officers to reporl to Hie members regarding what has oc