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404 ^> ^> ^ The Motion Picture Industry
to the Ministry executing the law for use in emergency cases, and the exact number finally allotted would depend on the number of such cases.) In the present law, the basis for kontingent allotment is the number of German films distributed by a given company in the 18 months prior to July 1, 1931, as against two years in the case of the previous law. As a matter of fact, the German versions of American films have been relatively so unsuccessful in Germany and there have been so few of them that in the 1930-1931 film season most of the American distributors did not use all the licenses to which they were entitled. One great source of the trouble is that, due to the nontransferability of licenses, some companies have more licenses than they can use and others not enough.
The original German law was widely imitated throughout the rest of Europe.7 The original French Film Decree of February 19, 1928, s provided that authorization to release foreign films in France be in the form of import permits which became property rights to be disposed of as the owner saw fit, subject, of course, to the limitations of the decree. The provision enforcing the export of the French productions was abandoned after long negotiations between the French and German industries; and in March, 1929, new regulations were recommended by the Control Commission
7 The student of motion picture developments in Germany must be impressed by the fact that the real crux of our film problem in Europe today lies in Germany. This will become increasingly clear as one follows the development as indicated in the remainder of the discussion in this chapter. Germany's significance today results not alone from the fact that she was the first of the European countries to take any action, but also from her very drastic regulations which have so largely influenced the rest of the world, and also from her apparent desire — and a perfectly natural one — to secure as large a proportion of the business in Central Europe and perhaps Scandinavia as she can. The student of current developments can hardly overestimate the significance of the German situation.
8 According to the records, the original French decree was published on February 19, 1928, becoming effective March 1; and on March 12, the Control Commission published its seven-to-one decree. On April 4, the Commission decided that not more than four of the seven visas could go to any one country, but, on May 4, receded from this position in favor of seven to one and furthermore gave the 60% exemption to the American trade.