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 #:
000486
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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2936 Defendants' Exhibit No. 145. By Mr. Kingsley : Q. At the conclusion of the checking of January, 1913, did you prepare or did you have prepared under your supervision and direction a list of the motion picture theatres in cities of a hundred thousand or over? A. Yes, sir. Q. Is that a correct copy of the list you had prepared? A. Yes, sir. Mr. Kingsley : I offer that list in evidence. Mr. Grosvenor : I make the same reservation as to 2 this list. The list offered in evidence is marked by the Examiner, "Defendants' Exhibit No. 115," and is as follows : Defendants' Exhibit No. 145. STATEMENT AS OF JULY 21, 1913, SHOWING NUMBER OF PLACES IN CITIES OF 100,000 AND OYER IN WHICH MOTION PICTURES YrERE EXHIBITED. Separated as to licensees and non-licensees of the Motion Picture Patents Company. City Licensees Non-Licensees Total Differences Boston, Mass 20 18 38 2— Bridgeport, Conn. . 11 15 26 4+ Fall River, Mass... 3 8 11 5+ New Haven, Conn. . . 11 14 25 3+ Providence, R. I. . . . 5 4 9 1 — Worcester, Mass. ... 4 3 7 1 — Albany, N. Y 11 13 24 2+ 4 Allegheny, Pa 0 0 0 0 Buffalo, N. Y 32 26 58 6— Jersey City, N. J.. . 13 4 17 9— Newark, N. J 37 58 95 21+ New York, N. Y.... 407 259 666 148— Paterson, N. J 5 5 10 0 Philadelphia, Pa. . . 87 122 209 35+ Pittsburgh, Pa <i_> 53 115 9— Rochester, N. Y 18 25 43 7+ Scranton, Pa 7 20 27 13 +