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 3
Leaf #:
000141
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 21, 2023
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H. N. Marvin, Direct Examination. 1367 tests, have amateaur night, together with some arrests, while we run nothing but pictures and a song. We have about a third run of pictures for our first reel, and a ten day run for our second reel, which is the best we can afford to take, and if these people are granted a license to run licensed pictures it hurt us very much together with the Aladin, and we will be forced to take on independent pictures. We are the oldest exhibitors in the west end with the exception of Pearce and Scheck's west branch, and we feel that there is some protection due us, as we have always paid our service and license fees promptly. We live in the west end and know every body, which is one reason we are doing as well as we are. You know the picture business is not as good as it was a year ago, and we have to hustle a little more than we did a year ago. These Black Cat people have been running independent pictures for nearly sixteen months, and while we know you are anxious to get all the people you can to run license films, yet if they got them it would only be for a time, as said before they never know what they are going to do. At present they are running some sort of a film exchange, and not doing much with it, but they had the nerve to ask us to take service from them. They are always got their eyes on our place, and sending some one over to see what crowd we have in our place. These things look funny, and are not very pleasant. If you want to know a little more about them ask their landlord, as I think he can give you a little information about them. If you care to know any more about us, we refer you to our landlord the Mercantile Bank, also the following, Miles Bros., Tom Moore, Lewis M. Swaab, and last but not least Pearce and Scheck. By the way, just a word about Pearce and Scheck. Their West Branch is one block from us, and they know about what pictures we get, so they always put them on a night or two before we get them, and then tell our operator about it, and say they are going to keep on doing it until we take service from them. They are doing the same thing on Broadway to a party that gets our pictures after we have had them. While they are doing this their customers are suffering, and ask