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 #:
000152
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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2602 James B. Clark, Cross Examination. 1 graph Company and the Edison licensees, and being clearly beyond his knowledge. The Witness : I know there was conflict, but I don't know that it was at that time. I don't have the time in my mind. Mr. Kingsley: You don't know the reasons for the conflict, do you, as far as the Biograph Company is concerned? 2 The Witness: No. It was supposed to be over patents, I suppose. That was the talk at that time. By Mr. Grosvenor : Q. When did it begin? Wasn't it about that time? A. I cannot really say. I don't know. Q. When was this trouble over patents, which you testified to on direct examination? A. Well, that was previous to the formation of the Motion Picture Patents Company. Q. And it was in the year immediately preceding it, wasn't it? A. I believe so. Q. And the year immediately preceding the formation of the Patents Company was the year 1908, that is, the period of the existence of the Film Service Association? A. Yes, it was about that time, I think. Q. Now, don't you know, Mr. Clark, that this patent trouble became acute after the formation of the Film Service Association, when the Biograph Company refused to join in with the other manufacturers? A. Well, I should say yes, but I am not positive. Q. Then it is your best recollection, that it was after the 4 Buffalo convention, and the forming of the Film Service Association, that the warfare broke out between the two camps? A. Yes, sir; I think it was. Q. Now, had you ever heard of the Latham patent before February, 1908? A. I can't say that, Q. Did you ever hear of the Latham patent before the Biograph Company acquired it? A. I don't believe I did. Q. Are you actively in charge of these rental exchanges in Pittsburgh in which you stated on direct examination, you are interested? A. No, sir.