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 #:
000299
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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Horace M. Thomas, Ceoss Examination. 2749 Q. What projecting machines have yon used in your houses? A. Edison, Powers and Standards. Q. Do those three comprise all you have used? A. Well, I have used Simplex. At one time I used a Chronophone. Q. That is during the whole period of your experience? A. Yes, sir. Q. During the period when you were having difficulty in keeping your program clear from that of your competitor, did you have any experience of favoritism being shown your competitor by any rental exchange? A. Well, a representative would come down and solicit their business, and if he is supplying him, as it happened in one case, he gave them one film and got more money. Whoever paid them more money would get the better films. Cross examination by Mr. Grosvenor : Q. How many licensed theatres did you say there are in Springfield? A. There are three picture theatres. What T call a picture theatre. And my vaudeville house. Q. So there are four theatres that show licensed pictures there? A. Yes, but only three of them could be classed as moving picture theatres. Q. Is this Jefferson, which is your vaudeville house, and where you also show moving pictures, the largest theatre in Springfield, Missouri? A. Yes, sir. Bigger than my legitimate house in seating capacity. Q. You stated, Mr. Thomas, that you did try unlicensed pictures once? A. Yes. Q. In what theatre was that? A. Alladin. Q. Did your experiment prove successful? A. I did that until I could make an arrangement with another exchange handling licensed. Q. You then took the independent pictures just for a time until you could get the licensed pictures? A. That was before the formation of the General Film Company, and that was when I could find a person to give me newer stuff. Redirect examination by Mr. Kingsley : (c>. You were not satisfied with the licensed service yon were getting? A. No, sir. Q. So that you took unlicensed service in preference to it? A. Yes, sir.