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 #:
000282
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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1 4 2732 Morris A. Choynski, Direct Examination. Hotel La Salle, Chicago, III., January 8th, 1014, 2 : 00 P. M. Hearing resumed pursuant to adjournment. Appearances as at the morning session. MORRIS A. CHOYNSKI, the next witness produced on behalf of the defendants, being first duly sworn by the Examiner, deposes as follows: Direct examination by Mr. Kingsley : Q. Where do you live? A. 852 North Clark Street, Chicago, Illinois. Q. How long have you lived in Chicago? A. I have lived in Chicago eight years. Q. In what business are you engaged? A. I am in the moving picture exhibition business. Q. How long have you been in the moving picture exhibition business? A. I have been continuously in Chicago in the moving picture exhibition business, and prior to that time in Pittsburgh I have showed pictures in a penny arcade. Q. Do you own or operate a theatre now? A. Yes, I am now interested in a theatre at 34 South Halstead Street, and I am about to open a theatre at the corner of Clark and Chesnut. Q. What are the names and seating capacities of your two theatres? A. The Palace Theatre, 214 seats, and the Newberry, 740. Mr. Grosvenor: Is the Newberry the new one? The Witness : The Newberry is the new one, yes. By Mr. Kingsley : Q. What service do you use in your two theatres? A. In the new one, I have contracted for the General, and in the Palace I am using Universal. Q. How long have you been using Universal in the Palace? A. I have been using Universal service for about a week now.