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 2
Leaf #:
000403
Language:
English
Collection:
Early Cinema and Government & Law
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:
June 13, 2024
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Charles W. Boyer, Direct Examination. 1021 Petitioner's Exhibit No. 183. MOTION PICTURE PATENTS COMPANY 80 Fifth Avenue, New York January 11th, 1913. Rosedale Theatre, Chambersburg, Pa. Gentlemen : Re: Exhibition of Unlicensed Motion Pictures. We are informed that on January 3rd you exhibited the unlicensed motion pictures of "Homers Odyssey." We shall be pleased to learn of any reason why your license should not be cancelled. Yours truly, MOTION PICTURE PATENTS COMPANY. By J. B. JB/ACL. The paper dated January 14th, 1913, is marked Petitioner's Exhibit No. 184, and is as follows: Petitioner's Exhibit No. 184. MOTION PICTURE PATENTS COMPANY 80 Fifth Avenue, New York January 14th, 1913. Rosedale Theatre, Chambersburg, Pennsylvania. Gentlemen : Re: Exhibition of Unlicensed Motion Pictures. We are informed that on Saturday, January 11th, you