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 #:
000261
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 IT. Ruben, Direct Examination. 2711 Q. Did this working agreement permit yon to keep your programs clear? A. Yes, sir. Q. And wore yon satisfied with the way it worked ont? A. Perfectly. Q. How many motion picture houses are there in Des Moines at the present time? A. Well, now. to be frank with yon, I am operating very extensively in St. Pan! and Minneapolis. I have sold my interests in Des Moines, with the exception of the Star Theatre, and I am not really in a position to say what the conditions are in Des Moines, that is, the number of theatres, etc. I am still taking General Film service there. There is three other licensed houses there, but we do not conflict in any way. Q. Do you know how many unlicensed houses there are in Des Moines at the present time? Mr. Grosvenor: I object to this question on the ground the witness has already stated that he was not qualified to testify. The Witness: Pardon me, I am qualified; but I am not in a position to state as to what the exact conditions are. I am in a position to state how many independent houses there are. Q. How many independent houses are there in Des Moines at the present time? A. Seven or eight. Q. Can you name them and give the seating capacity of each? A. Yes, sir; approximately. Q. Will you do so please? A. Yes, sir. Unlicensed houses you have reference to? Q. Yes. the unlicensed houses? A. There is the Family Theatre, seating capacity. 375: Colonial Theatre, with a seating capacity of 375; Majestic Theatre, with a seating capacity of 1,100, and the Tsis Theatre, with a seating capacity of about 900, and the — it has a peculiar name — the Pullman Theatre, with a seating capacity of about 300. Mr. Grosvenor: How many have you named? The Witness : Five, I think. Mr. Grosvenor: And yon said there were seven. What are the names of the other two?