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 #:
000580
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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3022 Defendants' Exhibit No. 151. Defendants' Exhibit No. 151. ANALYSIS OF DIFFERENCE BETWEEN JULY AND DECEMBER, 1913, CHECKING OF TOWNS IN GEORGIA INVESTIGATED BY W. W. R. GREENE. Number of towns with theatres that Greene visited 61 Number of towns without theatres that Greene 'phoned or inquired about, or visited 1.02 Number of theatres reported active July, 1913, as per mail checking Ill Number of theatres reported active December, 1913, as per visits of Greene 103 Difference between July and December, 1913... 8 or 7% loss. Number of new theatres (active) reported by Greene, of which the M. P. P. Co. had no record 10 By Mr. Kingsley: Q. Have you made an analysis of the difference between the July, 1913, checking, and the January, 1911, checking of towns in Ohio investigated by W. W. R. Greene? A. Yes, sir. Q. Have you it with you? A. Yes, sir. Q. Is this it? A. Yes, sir. Mr. Kingsley: I offer it in evidence. Mr. Grosvenor: This list shows that there was one more theatre in January, 1914, according to Greene, than there were shown in your estimate of July, 1913? The Witness: Yes, sir, one active theatre. Mr. Grosvenor: That is, his total practically agrees with your total? The Witness : Yes, sir. Mr. Grosvenor: You state on this exhibit, Miss Matthews, that Greene found twelve new theatres? The Witness : He found twelve new theatres, but some