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 #:
000531
Language:
English
Collection:
Early Cinema and Government & Law
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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Alfred Weiss, Cross Examination. 3383 Q. What was the address of the main office at that time? A. No. 10 Fifth Avenue. Q. Is this a blank which was made out and signed by you at your branch? A. Yes, sir. Q. Is that your signature at the end? A. Yes, sir. Q. Was it correct at the time you made it out? A. Yes, sir. Mr. Kingsley: I ask to have that marked for identification. The paper identified by the witness is marked "Defendants' Exhibit for Identification No. 203.'1 By Mr. Kingsley : Q. I show you a weekly statement of business done, Alfred Weiss Branch of the General Film Company, dated week ended July 16th, 1910, signed Alfred Weiss, Manager. Is that a statement made out by you for the use of the Home Office? A. Yes, sir. Q. Is it correct? A. Yes, sir. Mr. Kingsley : I ask to have it marked for identification. The paper identified by the witness is marked "Defendants' Exhibit for Identification No. 204." By Mr. Kingsley : Q. I show you a weekly statement of business done, Alfred Weiss Branch of the General Film Company, week ended July 23rd, 1910, signed Alfred Weiss, Manager. Is that a statement made out and signed by you? A. Yes, sir. Q. Is it correct? A. Yes, sir. Mr. Kingsley : I ask to have it marked for identification. The paper identified by the witness is marked ''Defendants' Exhibit for Identification No. 205." By Mr. Kingsley : Q. I show you a statement marked weekly statement of