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 000383 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 2
Leaf #:
000383
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 Devery, Redirect Examination. 1001 Q. You have just sworn to it. A. If that letter stood, why, we would get two weeks' notice, would we not? Q. Well, at the time you wrote this letter — A. I didn't write any letter. Q. Well, at the time this letter was written what kind of films did you have on hand, licensed, or unlicensed? A. Licensed films. Q. Was the company which Mr. Steiner was about to start the Yankee Film Company? A. I don't know anything about what Mr. Steiner was to start. Q. Oh, you don't? A. No, sir. Q. Did he subsequently start the Yankee Film Company? A. I believe so; yes. Q. And where was that located? A. 32nd Street. Q. Did you in July, 1912, sell or rent reels of licensed film to Mclntyre and Richter, at 23 West 24th Street? Mr. Grosvenor: Objected to as immaterial. The Witness: Did I? Mr. Kingsley: Yes. The Witness: I sold them some reels; I don't know whether licensed or not. By Mr. Kingsley: Q. Were they subsequently replevied by the Patents Company? A. I believe some of them. Redirect examination by Mr. Grosvenor : Q. Mr. Devery, this Porto Rico exhibitor that you referred to, you had been supplying, you say, since the middle of 1908? A. We entered into a partnership first with Mr. Marshall. We had a theater, and we sent the reels down on a percentage basis. Q. And that was in the year 1908? A. Yes, sir. Q. And long before the Patents Company was formed? A. Yes, it was. Q. And then this projecting machine respecting which you have been asked questions on cross examination, that is, as to whether or not you paid the royalties after the