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 000386 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 #:
000386
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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2236 Ike Van Ronkel, Direct Examination. New York City, December 8, 1913. The hearings were resumed, pursuant to adjournment, at 2:00 o'clock P. M., December 8, 1913, at Room 159, Manhattan Hotel, New York City. The appearances were the same as at the morning session. Thereupon IKE VAN RONKEL, resumed the stand. Direct examination continued by Mr. Caldwell: Q. Do you know how many theatres, motion picture theatres, there are in that territory? A. Yes, sir, approximately thirteen hundred theatres. Q. Now, what are the sources of your knowledge on that subject? How did you find out the number? A. In the City of Chicago, all theatres are licensed. We have about ^\e hundred and fifty in the city. I get that officially from the License Bureau. All outside of the city, in the territory that we cover, our traveling representative makes a report of every theatre in a town, the service he is getting, the price he is paying, where he can obtain it, and if not that, approximately what he is paying, and by that information we have tabulated exactly the number of theatres in the different towns, what they are using, and what prices they are paying. Then, that will make approximately seven hundred and fifty motion picture theatres, located in the territory served by these three branches, outside of Chicago. Q. Now, how many motion picture theatres are supplied in that territory by the three branches of the General Film Company? A. About five hundred and ten customers. Q. Do you know how many customers in that territory are supplied by the Mutual? A. Within a few. I couldn't give the exact number. I could approximate the number they are supplying. Q. About how many? A. Three hundred and fifty, in two offices. Q. How many customers in that territory are supplied by the three offices of the Universal? A. Approximately four hundred. Q. Do you know how many customers are supplied in