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 #:
000169
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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Charles A. Feinler, Redirect Examination. 2619 Q. How many motion picture houses are there in Wheeling? A. There is 12. Q. And some of those, houses which vary the motion pictures with vaudeville? A. Well, I will say 14. There are two others, vaudeville houses, which use pictures also. Q. How many of this total number exhibit the licensed film? A. Seven. Q. Seven of the twelve? A. Yes. Q. Are special features an important part of the program, owing to the development of the business? A. Not necessarily. We use them as a sort of inducement — we use it, in a way, to increase the price on a special day, to put in a feature. Q. And put in as an extra advertisement? A. Yes, sir. Q. I did not understand your statement on direct examination that nine-tenths of your entertainment was dramatic. What did you mean by that? A. Why, little playlets, you know ; dramatic playlets, and so forth. Q. That is to say, what is known as scenic films or topical films, comprise only about one-tenth of your entertainment? A. Scenic and educational pictures, and so forth. By Mr. Kingslby: Q. How many unlicensed houses are there in Wheeling? A. There are five regular moving picture houses, and two vaudeville houses, running unlicensed pictures. Q. Do you know the seating capacity of the five unlicensed houses? A. Yes, I could give it, about. Q. Could you give them approximately? A. The Garden Theatre has 500 seats. The Home Theatre has 300, the Southern Theatre has about 750. Oh, yes, there is the Lyric, it has about 450, and the Lyceum, about 350. That is as near as I can give them. I have just been told about that. Q. Do you know the seating capacity of the two vaudeville houses? A. Yes, the Orpheum Theatre seats about a thousand, and the Victoria seats about 050.