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 000567 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 #:
000567
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:
September 12, 2024
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William C. Pkeller, Cross Examination. 2417 Mr. Grosvenor : I will put them in evidence, those * that the witness identifies as being written by himself, or his branch. The letters offered are received in evidence and are marked by the Examiner, respectively, Petitioner's Exhibits Nos. 243, 244, 245, 246, 247, 248 and 249, and are as follows : Petitioners' Exhibit No. 243. (Letterhead) 2 GENERAL FILM COMPANY. Des Moines, Iowa. May 9th, 1911. J. S. Bassett, Independence, Iowa. Dear Sir: Yours of the 7th received, enclosing remittance of $33.25, which we have placed to your credit for film rental and supplies for which we thank you. Also note 3 what you say in reference to War Game and we regret exceedingly you have found it so unsatisfactory. Yrours is the first complaint of any of our accounts and only this morning we had a phone message from Bloomfield in which they said they did the largest business than any special film put on. As to the Battleship Texas we have you booked for June 5th and also Maid of Niagara for May 8th, and no doubt same reached you in time for your service. In reference to "Buffalo Bill's Wild West" and "Pawnee Bill's Far Eas,t" show, we must ask you not to run these film as they have never been sanctioned by the Motion Picture Patents Company. The men traveling with these two specials are misrepresenting the fact that the film were made by the Vitagraph people and we trust you will not jeopardize your license by running these specials. It is very easy to cancel the booking on these film as they have been misrepresented. We trust you will keep this in mind and be governed accordingly. We wish to add that they are making it a particular point to run