BLOG QUESTION: THE PATENT WARS

If you had to summarize and explain the events that led from the film industry's transfer from New Jersey to Los Angeles, how would you explain it? What was Thomas Edison's role in this transition? What role did patents and Nickelodeons play in this dispute?

The main factor that led the film industry to move from New Jersey to Los Angeles was Edison and his company's (MPPC) strict patent laws which controlled a lot of the filmmaking technology at that time. The industry moved to the opposite coast to put distance between themselves and Edison. There were also other factors such as the environment (good weather) and the fact that it was accessible through railroads. Nickelodeons were small theaters that showed films at the time created a higher demand for movies, but because of the MPPC and its patents, the production and distribution of movies was being controlled by them.