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 6
Leaf #:
000194
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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3222 Jeremiah J. Kennedy, Cross Examination. 1 lowing, shows that on June 13th you acquired the Howard Moving Picture Company. A. That is wrong. Q. When should it be? A. May 27th or May 28th. Q. 1910? A. 1910. The date you refer to there is very probably the date on which the exchange property wan delivered to the General Film Company, and not the date of the purchase at all. Q. Then, in respect to each of the dates given in this exhibit, the fact is, the sale was consummated, or the negotiations reached an agreement some time prior to the date of delivery? A. If you will let me look at that I can tell you in a moment about a few of them. Yes, it relates to the date on which the property purchased was delivered. Q. Then, in respect to each of these purchases, the parties reached an agreement for the sale, some days prior to the date of delivery of the exchange? A. Oh, yes, sometimes weeks. Usually weeks. In Swaab's case, it was two months. Whereupon, at 12 :30 a recess was taken until 2 :00 P. M. 3 The hearing was resumed at 2 :00 o'clock. JEREMIAH J. KENNEDY, resumed the stand. Cross examination continued by Mr. Grosvenor: Q. Mr. Kennedy, please state the exchanges which were acquired by the General Film Company when it was organized, refreshing your recollection by examining either the exhibit which you introduced on your direct examination, being Defendants' Exhibit 172, or by using Government's Exhibit No. 62, or both of them? A. Will you read the question, please? The question is repeated by the Examiner as follows : "Q. Mr. Kennedy, please state the exchanges which were acquired by the General Film Company when it was organized, refreshing your recollection by examining either the exhibit which you introduced on your direct examination, being Defend