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 #:
000466
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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1 1084: Edgar Thorp, Direct Examination. and we would be pleased to have you advise us if you secured the films from an Independent exchange. A prompt reply will be greatly appreciated. Yours very truly, GENERAL FILM COMPANY, W. T. Kinson, Branch Manager. WK-L. Petitioner's Exhibit No. 199. EDGAR THORP, 37 Fifteenth Street, Franklin, Pa. Franklin, Penna., August 10th, 1911. General Film Co., Pittsburgh, Pa. 3 Gentlemen : — Replying to your letter of the 9th relative to the pictures exhibited at Titusville on the night of July 20th. These films were secured by me through the Feature Film Co. of Toledo, Ohio. I do not know whether they are Independent or not they sent us a circular letter offering some features which we booked in for Thursday nights of each week. You will recall that we requested this service of your exchange informing you that we were going to run feature night each Thursday night with a five piece orchestra and you advised a us that you could not give us any feature reels. It is pretty hard to secure any feature reels, the best we have been able to do is getting booking on Thursday nights up to August 24th. Have you any feature reels to offer at this time for Thursday nights commencing Thursday night August 30th. We will run two feature night if we can get the service