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 #:
000351
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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Henry R. Slocum, Direct Examination. 2801 Exchange Company's license was cancelled on or about July 19th, 1910? A. Yes, sir. To the best of my recollection, that is about the date. Q. Did you continue in the employ of the O. T. Crawford Film Exchange Company after the cancellation of its license? A. Yes, sir. Q. What did you do after that? What work did you do — A. I was travelling salesman. Soliciting. Q. You continued right on the road as before? A. Yes, sir. Q. Did the O. T. Crawford Film Exchange Company continue in business? A. They — yes, we continued right along. Q. Did they change the name under which they operated? A. Yes. Q. What was the new name of the O. T. Crawford Film Exchange Company after July 19th, 1910? A. Swanson Crawford Film Exchange Company. Q. What exchanges, if any, combined with the (). T. Crawford Film Exchange Company after July 19th, 1910, to form the Swanson-Crawford Film Exchange Company? A. The O. T. Crawford Film Exchange Company, Western Film Exchange, the William Swanson Film Exchange, and Wagner Film Exchange. Q. Prior to July 19th, 1910, did you know the amount of film that the O. T. Crawford Film Exchange Company was renting from the licensed producers? A. You mean at the time they lost their license? Q. No. Before July 19th, 1910, the date of the cancellation of the license of the O. T. Crawford Film Exchange Company, did you know the amount of film that the O. T. Crawford Film Exchange Company was renting from the licensed producers of motion pictures? A. From 18 to 21— well, there were more than that, 21 or 22 reels a week. Something in that neighborhood. An average, I would say, of 21 reels. Q. At page 1238, Vol. If, of the printed record in this case, Mr. J. C. Graham on direct examination was asked this question: "From what manufacturers were the Western Film Exchange and the O. T. Crawford Film Exchange1 obtaining films in the month that they were cancelled, or in the early part of 1910? A. The O. T. Crawford Film Exchange