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 #:
000460
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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2910 J. Wesley Rosenqueist, Direct Examination. By Mr. Kingsley: Q. You spoke of manufacturers not now submitting subjects which they knew would be rejected. Did you mean by that that such subjects are prepared by the manufacturers and not submitted to the Board of Censorship, and nevertheless put on the market? A. No, I mean, a manufacturer inadvertently gets from his studio a film where there have been scenes, or a plot inadvertently made, such as our Board would condemn, and, knowing our standard, does not submit the film to us, but suppresses it, or that importers of films frequently receive films from Europe, a character of film they know we would condemn, and they reject it and return it, and never submit it to us. Mr. Grosvenor : No cross examination. Thereupon, J. WESLEY ROSENQUEST, the next witness produced by the defendants, of lawful age, being first duly sworn by the Examiner, deposed as follows: 3 Direct examination by Mr. Kingsley: Q. What is your business? A. Theatrical business. Q. Do you own or operate a theatre? A. Yes, sir, the Fourteenth Street Theatre, now. Q. el ust where is the Fourteenth Street Theatre located? A. At Nos. 105, 107 and 109 West Fourteenth Street. Q. What kind of program do you have at the Fourteenth Street Theatre? A. Moving picture and vaudeville combined. Q. Did you use motion pictures as a part of your pro 4 gram in 1908? A. Yes, sir. Q. In 1908, when you were using motion pictures as a part of the program in your theatre, from what rental exchange did you procure them? A. From George Kleine, who at that time had an exchange on 6th Avenue, in the neighborhood of 37th or 38th Street. Q. And for how long a period did you continue to secure motion pictures from George Kleine? A. From September 27th, 1908, to January 31st, 1909. Q. From whom did you secure motion pictures after