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 #:
000164
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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2614 Charles A. Feinler, Direct Examination. Q. Do you own a theatre there now? A. Yes, sir. Q. How long have you owned this theatre? A. Six years it will be in January. Q. What is the seating capacity of your house? A. Sixteen hundred and some odd. Q. What is the character of amusement that your theatre furnishes? A. Well, I have more than one theatre there. There is one theatre that I own, that is the Virginia Theatre, the 1600 house. Q. And what is the character of the amusement furnished by the Virginia Theatre? A. I have been running moving pictures there for — let me see — just two years and a half, now. Q. Do you run moving pictures exclusively, in the Virginia Theatre? A. Yes, sir. Q. What other houses do you own or have an interest in? A. The Colonial Theatre. Q. What sort of a house is that? A. Moving picture theatre. Q. Entirely moving pictures? A. Yes. Q. Is that also located in Wheeling? A. Yes, sir. Q. What is the capacity of the Colonial Theatre? A. About 900. Q. How long has that been exhibiting moving pictures exclusively? A. Well, it will be two years old in February. The 3rd of February, it was opened. Q. Have you had any other experience in exhibiting motion pictures to the public except in connection with these two theatres? A. Yes, sir. Q. What was that? A. The Court Theatre in Wheeling, which I am manager of. Q. And how long has that theatre been exhibiting motion pictures? A. Well, they just exhibit feature pictures there between the regular productions. Whenever we can get some big feature of some kind. Q. How long has it been doing that? A. About a year. Q. What is the name of that theatre, did you say? A. Court Theatre. Q. Were you ever connected with the Grand Theatre? A. Yes, sir. Q. Where was that located? A. Located corner 12th and Market Streets in Wheeling.