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 000597 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 #:
000597
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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Herbert C. Wales, Recross Examination. 2447 did you find that the prices to exhibitors were governed by the age of motion pictures, as is the case at present? A. Yes, along the same lines. Q. Are you familiar with the prices of motion pictures made by producers of unlicensed motion pictures? A. No, sir. Q. Do you know whether or not the prices of motion pictures furnished to exhibitors by unlicensed producers are governed by the age of the pictures? A. I believe so. Q. That is your information? A. Yes, sir. Q. When you were assistant manager of the Universal Film Exchange at Boston, what was the rule then with respect to the prices of motion pictures, and by that I mean, were the prices of motion pictures to exhibitors governed by the age? A. By the age, yes. Q. And that was true, regardless of the make of the pictures, was it not? A. Yes, sir. I believe that to be true in the majority of the exchanges. Q. You have found that that is a trade custom and a trade practice? A. Yes, sir. Q. Whether the pictures are licensed or unlicensed? A. Yes, sir. Q. And that has been true ever since you have been in the motion picture business? A. Yes. Recross examination by M>r. Grosvenor: Q. Were you in the exchange business before the General Film Company was organized? A. Yes, sir. Q. And where were you located? A. In Montreal, Canada. Q. You were not familiar with the conditions existing in this country at that time? A. Not in this country, no, sir. Examination by Mr. Kingsley : Q. Did the condition with respect to prices of motion pictures which you have just described, prevail while you were in Canada? A. Film rental prices were gauged according to the age of the tilm, yes, sir. Q. And then you went to Boston, did you not? A. Yes. From Canada. Q. And the same rule with respect to prices of motion pictures to the exhibitors then prevailed? A. Yes, sir.