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 #:
000574
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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301G H. M. Newsome, Direct Examination. Q. Did you happen to know whether Messrs. Boone & Bailey wanted to sell their exchange some time before they actually made the trade? A. Did I know about that? Q. Yes. A. No, sir, I don't believe I did. Q. You never had any conversation with them on that subject? A. No, sir. Q. You are in the exhibition business now, are you not? A. Yes, sir. Q. How many theatres do you own, or are you interested in? A. Six. Q. Where are those theatres located? A. Birmingham, Pensacola, Florida, and Augusta, Georgia. Q. How many motion picture theatres are there in Birmingham? A. There are about ten all told. Q. Do you know how many of those are licensed and how many are unlicensed? A. Only three licensed. Q. And the other seven are unlicensed? A. Yes, sir. Q. Are you familiar with conditions in Augusta, Georgia? A. Yes, sir. Q. How many theatres are there in Augusta? A. There are only three picture shows there, picture theatres. Q. What is the character of those theatres as to the service furnished? A. Two licensed, and one unlicensed. Q. Are you familiar with the conditions in Pensacola, Florida? A. Yes, sir. Q. What are the conditions there with respect to licensed and unlicensed theatres? A. One licensed, and three unlicensed. Q. Are you familiar with the conditions in Montgomery, Alabama? A. Yes, sir. Q. What are the conditions there? A. Two unlicensed, and one licensed. Q. Are you familiar with the motion picture theatres in Mobile, Alabama? A. No, sir; I am not very well acquainted there. Q. Are you in Gadsden, Alabama? A. Yes, sir. Q. What is the condition there? A. I think, two nnlicensed and one licensed, if I am correct. Q. How about Anniston, Alabama? A. Three unlicensed, and one licensed. Q. And in Chattanooga, Tennessee? A. Three licensed, and four unlicensed.