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 #:
000588
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:
July 11, 2024
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1814 Jonas A. Koerpel, Redirect Examination. Q. That is a thing you open only in the summer? A. Yes, sir. Q. And was that prosperous this Summer? A. Not this Summer, because we had a bad season. Q. And that was the cause for that want of prosperity? A. Yes, sir. Redirect examination by Mr. Kingsley : Q. How far away is the City Theatre from your theatre? A. The City Theatre? Q. Yes ; on 14th Street. A. That is miles away from my theatre. That is at 14th Street, and I am at 157th Street and Amsterdam Avenue. Q. And when you went down to the City Theatre, did you go down there to take advantage of any of Mr. Fox's advertising or showing of any pictures in advance of him? A. I did not. I went down there to get the stories of the films on their release day. Q. So that you could make up a program of your own? A. Yes, sir; of the three reels that I book on my program every day. Q. You had no desire to circumvent him or outwit him, or get the better of him? A. I could not if I wanted to. Q. The announcements which you put out in front of your theatre, and which you say were for all the world, were intended to attract customers to come to your place to see the exhibitions you gave? A. Certainly not competitors; customers. Q. You did not put out this advertising for the purpose of informing your competitor of what you were going to do, in order that he might arrange to do it a day or two in advance of you? A. Certainly not. Q. How close is that competitor to you? A. Well, he has two houses. One of them is six blocks away, seating 3,200 people, and one is eight blocks away, seating about 2,000 people. Q. The business of exhibiting motion pictures is a theatrical business, is it not? A. Well, I would call it theatrical. It is to entertain or amuse. Q. And the success of your business depends upon changes in program? A. Sure. Q. And upon changes in subjects? A. Yes, because we