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 000555 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 #:
000555
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. 533 nounce to you that from this day, all Swanson offices will be 1 pleased to rent you films, no matter whether or not you have paid the machine license required by the Patents Company, and their licensees. Because of the interest Mr. Swanson has personally taken in existing conditions of the Moving Picture business, and the strong opposition he has made against compelling of payment by the exhibitors of the $2.00 weekly royalty imposed by the Patents Company, and his interest and loyalty to the customer, together wTith his refusal to advise them to take a step which he did not believe was for their well being, will, we believe, lead to our becoming independent. Mr. Swanson has considered the question 2 most carefully, and has investigated very thoroughly the source of supply of film for the Independent Exchanges and he believes that the subjects which are to be placed on the market by the International Projecting and Producing Company are unequalled not only in subject matter, but also in photography, and will be the choicest productions of the European manufacturers. We ask that all exhibitors who are interested in securing the highest class of film service, write us to-day for full particulars. (Signed) William H. Swanson & Co., Nos. 160, 162, 164 Lake St., Chicago, 111. W. H. Swanson St. Louis Film Co., 200, 201, 204 No. 7th St., St. Louis, Missouri. William H. Swanson Film Company, No. 106 South 14th St., Omaha, Neb." Is that your advertisement? A. What is the date of that? Q. It is in the issue of the Moving Picture World of the 4 13th of March, 1909? A. I think that was an "ad" inserted by our Advertising Department, and censored by the editor of the Moving Picture World. That, "ad" was written and put in there after the cancellation of the license. Q. From this advertisement there does not seem to have been any difficulty in getting plenty of film? A. The advertisement does not say thai at all. There would be no difficulty in getting i; ? Q. Well, there was plenty to be had, wasn't there? A.