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 000365 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 4
Leaf #:
000365
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:
September 12, 2024
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AJLBE'RT J. GlLLTGHAM, DIRECT EXAMINATION. 2215 ture theatres, in your territory now, as to structure, accommodations, and seating capacity? A. There are theatres that are used for motion picture purposes in our territory today that have cost as high as $200,000, sir. The general character of all the theatres has materially improved in the past four years, especially in regard to having the houses better ventilated and having them well lighted. Previous to four years ago, as a general rule, you would go into a dark room. Now the exhibitor seems to take a pride in keeping his place clean and having his house very well illuminated. Q. Well, for the most part, are the buildings specially built for the purpose of motion pictures, at the present time? A. A large percentage of them are built expressly for that purpose, or there are spaces that have been transformed over to be used for that purpose. Q. Take the City of Detroit. How many theatres are there that will seat from 500 up? A. How many theatres are there that will seat from 500 up? Q. Yes. I am speaking of motion picture theatres. A. I understood that, sir. Ten theatres that will seat from 500 to 1,800. Q. And of those ten theatres, how many are being served by the General Film Company? A. The General Film Company is serving five of them. Q. And who are serving the other five? A. The independents. The largest theatre there, the Broadway Theatre, a house that cost $225,000, with 1,800 seats, is being furnished with an independent program. Q. What is the next largest city in your territory? A. Grand Rapids. Q. Could you say how many theatres there are in Grand Rapids seating from 500 up? A. There is only one theatre in the city of Grand Rapids that has a seating capacity of over 500. There is another one in the course of construction that will have 600 seats. Q. And who are serving those two theatres? A. Well, this one theatre with the 600 seats is not completed as yet, sir. The other house has 1,100 seats. That is using the independent program. Q. What is the next largest city in your territory? A. Toledo, Ohio, is larger than Grand Rapids. Toledo has about a quarter of a million.