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 000387 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 #:
000387
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, Recross Examination. 1005 Q. But Mr. Steiner told you what the lawyer stated? A. No, I heard Mr. Steiner, or, I seen Mr. Steiner taking the letter over the telephone. Q. And then the letter was sent out? A. Yes, by Mr. Steiner. Q. Saw it? A. No, I didn't read it. Q. You heard it being taken down — A. Now, listen — Q. Well, you listen — A. All right. Q. You heard it being taken down? A. Yes. Q. And you knew it was going out? A. Yes, sir, it was taken down and typewritten. Q. And the idea was, you wanted to get it over to the Patents office as soon as possible? A. Yes, sir, according to instructions, to beat them to it. Q. Who bought this projecting machine that was used in Porto Rico? A. The Imperial Film Exchange. Q. Did you know what machine it was? A. I did, yes. Q. What make was it? A. It was a Powers, No. 4. Q. Now, when did you buv it? A. We bought it in about 1906. Q. And was that the same machine that was down there in 1910? A. In 1910, not any machine of ours down there, in 1910. Q. What machine was down there in 1910? A. I don't know what he had. Q. How long did the Powers No. 4 you bought in 1906 last? A. It was down there about a year. Q. You sent it back in 1907? A. He sent it back when we changed the agreement. Q. And you don't know what machine was down there after 1907? A. No, sir, not after he sent back the first machine. Q. And you did not want us to understand that the machine you bought in 1906, was there right along up until 1910? A. No, sir, I did not. Q. WTien you testified in answer to Mr. Grosvenor's question? A. No, sir; I didn't want you to understand that. Q. And you don't know what machine was down there at the time you signed the license agreement? A. Yes, sir, at that time our machine was down there. Q. I thought you said it came back in 1907? A. I said it didn't go down there until 1908, and that it came back in July, or August, of 1909, that is my recollection.