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 (1914)

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:
1914
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 5
Leaf #:
000137
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 21, 2023
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James B. Clark, Direct Examination. 2587 Q. Are the prices based upon the demands of the exhibitors for newer service? A. Yes, sir. Q. Does the release day rule therefore give you a point from which to reckon the price of service with some certainty? A. Yes, sir. Q. Does the release day rule permit the manufacturer to release simultaneously throughout the country? A. Yes, sir; I understand it does. Q. What would you say as to whether or not the release day rule prevents one exchange from getting an unfair advantage over another exchange? A. I say it does. Q. What do you say as to whether, as a matter of fact, an advantage of even one hour in releasing a film might mean a considerable advantage in one exchange over another? A. I would say it would. Q. Do you believe that the release day rule should be strictly enforced? A. I do. Q. When it comes to shipping motion pictures to distant points, would an exchange which violated the release day rule obtain an unfair advantage over a competitor? A. Yes, sir. Q. Do you recall that when the Patents Company license was issued, there was a provision therein providing for the return of motion pictures on the seventh month after they were leased? A. Yes, sir. Q. Did you approve or disapprove of that provision? A. I approved of it. Q. Did you have any film on hand in your exchange at the time you signed the Patents Company license? A. Yes, sir. Q. And was some of this, old film? A. Yes, sir. Q. How long was it after you signed the Patents Company license before you began to return film to the manufacturers? A. Seven months, I believe. Q. And when you began to return film to the manufacturers, what character of film did you send back? A. I sent back the oldest stuff we had. The oldest film we had. Q. And by that you mean the oldest stock you had on hand at the time you signed the Patents Company license? A. Yes, sir; film that was worn out. Q. And this sort of return was accepted by the manufacturers? A. Yes, sir.