Publication details
Krieg der Patente. Die deutschen Elektrokonzerne und die tschechoslowakische Filmindustrie in den 1930er Jahren
| Title in English | The War of Patents. The German Electrical Corporations and the Czechoslovak Film Industry in the 1930S |
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| Authors | |
| Year of publication | 2007 |
| Type | Chapter of a book |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Description | The article analyzes an integration of the German electrical corporation Klangfilm into the Czech film market and its struggles with both international and domestic competitors there. Via series of patent law suits, it attempted to monopolize Czech exhibition sector as well as film studios. Simultaneously with coordinated activities in other European countries, it tried to do nothing less than stop the whole first sound season in Prague theaters. After so-called Paris Agreement in July 1930, Klangfilm ceased to attack the faster Americans and turned against domestic producers and small cinemas that bought their cheap equipment, until it forced them to become its licensees. In the mid 1930s, the German monopolists started the third campaign: with the help of their key customer, Barrandov Studios AB, they attacked the second emerging Prague film studio “Host”, then wired with Philips system, and eventually contributed to its collapse. |
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