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 #:
000372
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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2822 Wax Milder, Direct Examination. Q. Where did you live prior to that time? A. Cleveland, Ohio. Q. In what business are you engaged now? A. Moving picture business. Q. When did you first go into the moving picture business? A. Oh, it has been seven or eight years ago. Q. Were you ever employed by the Lake Shore Film Exchange in Cleveland, Ohio? A. Yes, sir. Q. WThen did you go to work for the Lake Shore Film Exchange? A. Almost four years ago. Q. Who was the manager of the Lake Shore Film Exchange? A. Mr. Mandelbaum. Q. What is his first name? A. E. Mandelbaum — Emanuel Mandelbaum. Q. In what capacity were you employed by the Lake Shore Film Exchange? A. I had charge of the shipping department. Q. Were you continually in charge of the Lake Shore Film Exchange shipping department until you left its employ? A. Yes, sir. Q. Were you in charge of the shipping department of the Lake Shore Film Exchange at the time of the cancellation of its license? A. Y7es. Q. During the time that you were in charge of the shipping department of the Lake Shore Film Exchange in Cleveland, did that exchange ship motion pictures to Texas, and open an unlicensed exchange in Texas? A. Yes, sir. Q. Was this prior to the cancellation of its license? A. Yes, sir. Q. After the cancellation of the license of the Lake Shore Film Exchange in March, 1911, did you continue in the employ of the Lake Shore Film Exchange? A. Yes, sir. Q. Did the Lake Shore Film Exchange go on and do business in the same field? A. Yes, sir. Q. What arrangements were made for supplying motion pictures at the time of the cancellation of the license of the Lake Shore Film Exchange? A. They commenced buying the unlicensed releases of the independent films, and continued just the same as they had previously to that time. Q. How many releases did the Lake Shore Film Exchange purchase from the unlicensed producers of motion pictures? A. I think about fourteen that they were buying nt that time.