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 #:
000259
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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Isaac II. Ruben, Direct Examination. 270!) ers, that is, these licensed manufacturers, as to price, is there? A. No, sir. Q. So that you pay the same for the output of each, provided the output is of the same age? A. Yes, sir. Q. And when you referred on direct examination to competition between these licensed manufacturers, you were, of course, referring to competition as to quality? A. Yes, sir. Q. But not to competition as to price? A. No, sir, not as to price. Reexamination by Mr. Kingsley: Q. You pay different prices for the programs or pictures at the different theatres? A. Yes, sir. Q. The different programs which you show at the different theatres have different values for your purposes? A. Well, yes. Q. And is that difference in value reflected in the price which you pay to the rental exchanges? A. Yes, sir. ISAAC H. RUBEN, the next witness produced on be 3 half of the defendants, being first duly sworn by the Examiner, deposes as follows: Direct examination by Mr. Kingsley: Q. Where do you live? A. Minneapolis. Q. How long have you lived there? A. About seven months. Q. Where did you live prior to that? A. Des Moines, Iowa. Q. Were you in the motion picture business in Des 4 Moines? A. Yes, sir. At the present time. Q. For how long were you in the motion picture business in Des Moines? A. About eight years. Q. Did you own and operate a theatre there? A. Yes, sir; two of them. Q. Tell us, please, the names of the theatres, and their seating capacities. A. Star Theatre, seating capacity, 375; Lyric Theatre, about the same capacity. Q. For about how long a time did you own and operate