Paramount Decree of 1948

E10102

The Paramount Decree of 1948 was a landmark U.S. Supreme Court antitrust ruling that dismantled the major film studios’ vertical control over production, distribution, and theater ownership, reshaping the American movie industry.


Statements (48)
Predicate Object
instanceOf United States Supreme Court case
United States Supreme Court decision
antitrust ruling
consent decree
alsoKnownAs Paramount antitrust decree
Paramount case
Paramount decision
appliedTo 20th Century-Fox
Columbia Pictures
Loew's Inc.
MGM
Paramount Pictures
RKO
United Artists
Universal
Warner Bros.
areaOfLaw antitrust law
competition law
basedOnCase United States v. Paramount Pictures, Inc.
citation 334 U.S. 131
concerns film distribution
motion picture industry
movie theater ownership
vertical integration
country United States
dateDecided 1948
effect dismantled vertical integration in Hollywood
ended studio ownership of large theater chains
forced separation of production and exhibition
increased competition in film exhibition
limited block booking practices
limited circuit dealing practices
reshaped the American movie industry
restricted resale price maintenance in film licensing
weakened the classical Hollywood studio system
enforcedBy United States Department of Justice
held that major film studios violated U.S. antitrust laws
historicalPeriod Golden Age of Hollywood
jurisdiction Supreme Court of the United States
laterDevelopments portions of the decree were terminated or modified in the 21st century by federal courts
legalCitation 334 U.S. 131
resultedIn divestiture of studio-owned theater chains
separation of Paramount Pictures from its theater chain
separation of other major studios from their exhibition arms
significance influenced later media ownership and antitrust policy
key turning point in the decline of the studio system
landmark in U.S. antitrust enforcement
year 1948

Referenced by (6)
Subject (surface form when different) Predicate
Paramount Decree of 1948 ("Paramount antitrust decree")
Paramount Decree of 1948 ("Paramount decision")
Paramount Decree of 1948 ("Paramount case")
alsoKnownAs
Paramount Decree of 1948 ("United States v. Paramount Pictures, Inc.")
basedOnCase
Hollywood Golden Age
declineFactor
Loew's Inc. ("United States v. Paramount Pictures, Inc.")
legalCaseInvolved

Please wait…