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 #:
000178
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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2628 C. R. Jones, Direct Examination. Q. Did you run the independent service in the Federal Theatre during the two and a half years you owned it? A. Yes, sir. Q. Did you start the Federal Theatre? A. Yes, sir. Q. And you started it with the independent films? A. Yes, sir. Q. Did you ever show licensed films in it? A. Not until recently, within the last six months. Q. Did you increase your business right along in the Federal Theatre during the period that you showed the unlicensed film? A. No, sir; I didn't increase it. Q. Did it do a good business? A. Yes, sir. Q. From what independent source did you obtain your independent film up to within the last six months? A. I obtained it from the Pittsburgh Photo-Play Company. Q. And then from whom did you get it? A. The Weiland Feature Film Company. Q. What percentage of the program that you exhibit is dramatic? A. Well, I should say about seventy-five per cent. Q. And what percentage is comedy? A. Well, I think the balance is between comedy and western pictures. Q. Is there a theatre taking service in your immediate neighborhood from the General Film Company? A. Yes, sir. Q. How many blocks away is it? A. In the next block. Q. Do you have any trouble in keeping your program clear from the theatre in the next block? A. No, sir. Q. What is the name of the theatre in the next block? A. The Casino. Q. Do you know the seating capacity of it, approximately? A. Probably two hundred and fifty. Q. Do you ever make a request on the General Film Company for a special subject? A. Yes, sir. Q. Do they co-operate with you and endeavor to give you the variety that you order? A. Yes, sir. Q. Do you advertise from week to week your pictures in advance? A. Yes, sir, we get a program out every week. Q. Do you circulate the program in the neighborhood? A. Yes, sir. Q. Have you observed the character and quality and artistic excellence of the pictures furnished by the licensed producers of motion pictures? A. Yes, sir.