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 4
Leaf #:
000509
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 21, 2023
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Ralph Le Beau, Direct Examination. 2359 Q. Racine, Wisconsin — how large a place is that? A. About between twenty and twenty-five thousand. Q. And how many motion picture theatres are there? A. Five. Q. And how many do you serve? A. Three. Q. Beloit — how large a place is that? A. About 15,000. Q. And how many motion picture theatres are there? A. Four. Q. And how many do you serve? A. Two. Q. Appleton, Wisconsin? A. About 12,000. Q. How many theatres? A. Four. Q. And how many do you serve? A. Two. Q How many theatres are there in Milwaukee that will seat five hundred or more? A. Twelve. Q. And how many of those do you serve? A. Seven. Q. Will you state, without my having to repeat the question each time, the conditions with respect to the number of theatres of that capacity and the number served by you in the following cities — Green Bay? A. One. Q. Who serves it? A. We serve it. Q. Kenosha? A. Two. Mr. Grosvenor: Green Bay, there is one theatre having five hundred or over, and you supply it? The Witness : Yes. By Mr. Caldwell: Q. And Kenosha? A. Two. We supply one. Mr. Grosvenor: Does the other branch of the General Film Company supply the other? The Witness: No. It is an independent theatre — using independent service. By Mr. Caldwell: Q. Sheboygan? A. One. We supply that one. Q. Racine? A. One. We supply that one. Q. Are those the only theatres in your territory with a seating capacity of five hundred or more? A Those are the only ones. I have enumerated all of them. 3 4