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 #:
000409
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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William T. Murray, Direct Examination. 2859 Cross examination by Mr. Grosvenor: Q. What was the occasion of your leaving the licensed service? A. I could not get as many first run pictures daily as I wanted, and I could from the other concern. Q. Were there a good many other theatres showing the General Film Service in Atlanta at the time? A. Well, yes. Yes, I think possibly they had a majority of them at that time. Kedirect examination by Mr. KinCxSLF.y : Q. Is your theatre the largest theatre in town? A. I think we have more seats than any of the others. WILLIAM T. MURRAY, the next witness produced on behalf of the defendants, being of lawful age, duly sworn by the Examiner, deposes as follows: Direct examination by Mr. Kingsley : Q. Do you live in Atlanta? A. Yes, sir. Q. Are you in the motion picture business? A. Yes, sir. Q. Do you own a motion picture theatre? A. I own two of them. Q. Will you give us the names of your theatres, and the seating capacity of each? A. Alamo No. 1 seats about 240 people. Q. Yes? A. Alamo No. 2 seats about 400. Q. How long have you had these theatres? A. Well, No. 1, I have had it just about three years. No. 2 I have just had it just about two or three months. Q. During the period that you have been operating theatres in Atlanta, have you had any experience with conflicting programs? A. Well, you take before ever I went to the General Film Company, I was using independent service in Alamo No. 1. At that time there was two independent exchanges open, one here which is known as the Consolidated Film Exchange, and one in New Orleans which was known as the Dixie Film Exchange. WTe were getting film from the Dixie. And of course we conflicted at that time witli the Savoy Theatre, which Mr. Olenoh was running. Of course this is independent service I am speaking of now. And then