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 #:
000478
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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2928 Defendants' Exhibit No. 141. Defendants' Exhibit No. 141. Form 483 U. S. POSTAL CARD. City or Town Clerk or Postmaster. SO Fifth Ave., New York, Jan. 16, 1911. Dear Sir: Your courtesy in furnishing us with information regarding places showing Motion Pictures in your vicinity is appreciated and is of service to the Motion Picture industry. To properly utilize the data you have furnished us, and avoid troubling you with unnecessary correspondence, it has been suggested that the Directory of Motion Picture Theatres be revised at stated periods. We are sending you on the attached Postal Card a list as entered on our records. If you will make the Corrections and Additions necessary to bring this list up to date, noting whether Active, Inactive, Closed to Pictures or Dismantled, and return same to us, we will thank you. Yours very truly, MOTION PICTURE PATENTS COMPANY.