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 #:
000202
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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2652 Samuel E. Morris, Direct Examination. Q. Did you do anything to clear up the situation at the office so that you could get a program, and get it promptly? A. Well, we tried. Q. What did you do? A. Well, we spoke to Mr. Mandelbaum, who was the manager and owner of that exchange, and he would in turn say he would take it up with the booking clerk, and for obvious reasons, probably in a day or so, we would get a regular program on schedule time, and then it would go right back again to the same thing where you couldn't depend upon it. Q. What were some of these obvious reasons? A. Well, one was you were supposed to get certain reels when the time came, and probably it might be when the time came they would take those reels and give them to somebody else because they put in a complaint — Mr. Grosvenor: I object to what the witness said as to "what probably might have been" as incompetent. By Mr. Kixgsley: Q. Whatever the reason, they would take your reels and give them to somebody else? A. Yes, sir. Q. Did you have at that time any competitor who was using the licensed service in your immediate neighborhood? A. Yes, sir. Q. Did you have any difficulty in keeping your service clear from his service? A. Yes, sir. Q. Were you troubled at all by his running duplicate pictures at the same time, or about the same time that you ran them? A. He would not run duplicates, because they were not buying that many, but say, for instance, if I was to get a picture, and they gave me the assurance that I would get it for tonight, or the next night, and after I would advertise it for a certain day, it probably would be shown the night before. Q. Did you have that experience? A. Yes, sir. Q. Did it happen frequently or infrequently? A. It didn't happen so frequently but on a number of occasions. Q. After you began to take service from the General Film Company was there any change in this respect? A. Yes, sir.