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 #:
000515
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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Pekcival L. Waters, Direct Examination. 2001 Thereupon, PERCIVAL L. WATERS, the next witness 1 produced by the defendants, of lawful age, being first duly sworn by the Examiner, deposed as follows : Direct examination by Mr. Kingsley: Q. Where do you live, Mr. Waters? A. Hotel Wolcott, New York. Q. How long have you been a resident of New York? A. About eighteen years. Q. What business were you engaged in in 1909? A. Moving picture business; distributing films. 2 Q. And by that do you mean that you owned a rental exchange? A. Yes, sir. Q. How long had you been the owner of a rental exchange in 1909? A. About fifteen years. Q. Mr. Waters, did you sell your rental exchange to the General Film Company? A. Yes, sir. Q. At what time was it that you sold your stock and films to the General Film Company? A. It was in 1910. Q. At what time in 1910? A. Why, the arrangements were made, I think, in about April or May. Q. With whom did you deal when you entered into the 3 contract for the sale of your stock and films to the General Film Company? A. J. J. Kennedy. Q. Did you conduct the negotiations entirely with him? A. No, I closed with Mr. Kennedy and Mr. Berst, representing the General Film Company. Q. How did the negotiations begin between you and Mr. Kennedy? A. Someone called me on the 'phone, and asked me if I would see Mr. Kennedy at the General Film Company's office on a certain day, and I told them "Yes," and I went to the office and met Mr. Kennedy and Mr. Berst, too, I think, was present. Q. At the time that you called upon Mr. Kennedy was there any discussion respecting the possibility of the sale of your stock and films to the General Film Company? A. Any discussion? Q. Yes. A. No discussion. Q. Was any offer made to you at that time? A. Yes, sir. Q. Did you subsequently accept the offer that was made to you? A. Yes.