The United States versus Paramount Pictures, Inc.

The United States v. Paramount Pictures, Inc. (1947) case deals with monopolies and antitrust laws. I chose the trusts/monopolies topic due to my interest in finance and economics. Since elementary school, I have been fascinated by John D. Rockefeller’s story about his oil monopoly. This history has caused me to be interested in monopolies and trusts. I began enjoy reading about the elite who obtained their wealth illegally. After reading and watching The Great Gatsby and watching the movie Catch Me If You Can, I have been fascinated with counterfeit wealth and how people may have gotten away with breaking the law. My favorite thing about APUSH is learning how the economy has changed over time and how that has affected the lifestyle of the people and the power of the government. This Paramount case deals with government regulation of business and how it implements the notion of free competition by attacking monopolies.

I am interested in how corporate and finance laws are implemented and how much government is involved in business. This case involves with monopolies in the motion pictures industry. As learned in APUSH, the motion pictures industry was extremely popular during the twentieth century and there was a lot of news surrounding that area of American life. I had originally had chosen the court case Gibbons v. Ogden (1824), which also had to do with monopolies, but there wasn’t any antitrust laws during that time period to research. That was the first time monopolies were challenged in court. Over a hundred years later, the monopoly of the movie production industry was challenged through the same idea of antitrust. The topic of monopolies and trusts even plays an important role in society today as it shapes government regul...

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...ducers file for Supreme Court amicus curiae. Retrieved , from http://www.cobbles.com/simpp_archive/paramountcase_5amicus1947.htm

Hodak, G. (2012). May 3, 1948: Court Rules on Hollywood Antitrust Case. ABA Journal, 98(5), 1.

The Consent Decree of 1940 - The Paramount Case. (n.d.). The Consent Decree of 1940 - The Paramount Case. Retrieved , from http://www.cobbles.com/simpp_archive/paramountcase_3consent1940.htm

The Hollywood Studios in Federal Court - The Paramount case. (n.d.). The Hollywood Studios in Federal Court - The Paramount case. Retrieved , from http://www.cobbles.com/simpp_archive/paramountcase_4equity1945.htm

The Supreme Court verdict that brought an end to the Hollywood studio system. (n.d.).The Supreme Court verdict that brought an end to the Hollywood studio system. Retrieved , from http://www.cobbles.com/simpp_archive/paramountcase_6supreme1948.htm