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 #:
000531
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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Calvin S. Edwards, Cross Examination. 2381 Q. How many theatres have these towns you have named, each of them? A. Great Bend has two, Garden City has two, Dodge City has three, Lamed has two, Oysington has two, Downes has two, Stockton has one, Osborne has one, Plainville has one, Smith Center — I cannot say whether they have two or more. All of these run six days in the week. Q. Name some more towns having theatres running six days in a week in which you have not a customer? A. Belleville, Mankato, Norton ; oh, there are so many of them, they would tire me out. Q. Now, name some of these 135 towns that have shows, these so-called store shows, that run only one night a week? A. Sutphen, Kansas ; with a population of 30. Q. That is one of the towns wThere the General Film Company has no customer? A. When they show any pictures there, they generally want the General Film Service. Q. Is that one of the towns you included in your 135? A. No, sir ; not running at the present time. Q. Well, name some of these towns, 135 towns which you gave on direct examination, which have only so-called store shows? A. Winchester, Sutphen, Corker City. They are all small places. So many of them, I cannot remember all. Q. Are those all you can think of? A. Just at this moment, yes. Q. How do you get your films in Kansas City? A. By express and parcels post. Q. From what places? A. Orange, New Jersey; Bound Brook, New Jersey ; New York and Chicago. Q. Philadelphia? A. Philadelphia, yes. Lubin. Q. Then you send them out from Kansas City to the customers located in these places you have named? A. Yes, sir. Q. What per cent, of your weekly gross receipts is made up of the rentals for these films? A. All of the $7,700. Q. How long have the Famous Players been doing business in your territory? A. We have not felt their presence there to any extent until the last three or four months. Q. How long have Warner's Features been doing business there? A. About a year, I should judge. Q. In renting films to your customers, do you charge them by age? A. The value of that is determined by the age. Q. And noc by the make of the manufacturer? A. No, sir.