Theatre Enterprises, Inc. v. Paramount Film Distributing Corp.

346 U.S. 537 (1954)

Study Aids
Case Briefs Overview
Casebooks
Case Briefs
T
From our private database of 46,300+ case briefs, written and edited by humans—never with AI.

Theatre Enterprises, Inc. v. Paramount Film Distributing Corp.

United States Supreme Court
346 U.S. 537 (1954)

Play video

Facts

Theater Enterprises, Inc. (TEI) (plaintiff), owned and operated a theater in suburban Baltimore, Maryland, about six miles from downtown Baltimore. Leading up to and after opening, TEI attempted to obtain first-run films from Paramount and several competing production companies (the production companies) (defendants) to show in the suburban theater. The production companies refused on a number of different grounds and adhered to the current policy of limiting first-run films to eight theaters located in downtown Baltimore. TEI responded by bringing suit against the production companies, alleging that the policy of limiting first-run films to downtown theaters constituted an unlawful conspiracy among competitors to restrain competition in violation of the Sherman Act. In district court, the production companies provided justifications for their parallel behavior, mostly related to an individual desire by each company to maximize profits. The issue was submitted to a jury, which returned a verdict for the production companies. TEI appealed the decision, arguing that TEI was entitled to a directed verdict, but the court of appeals affirmed the decision. TEI petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court for certiorari.

Rule of Law

Issue

Holding and Reasoning (Clark, J.)

What to do next…

  1. Unlock this case brief with a free (no-commitment) trial membership of Quimbee.

    You’ll be in good company: Quimbee is one of the most widely used and trusted sites for law students, serving more than 806,000 law students since 2011. Some law schools—such as Yale, Berkeley, and Northwestern—even subscribe directly to Quimbee for all their law students.

    Unlock this case briefRead our student testimonials

  2. Learn more about Quimbee’s unique (and proven) approach to achieving great grades at law school.

    Quimbee is a company hell-bent on one thing: helping you get an “A” in every course you take in law school, so you can graduate at the top of your class and get a high-paying law job. We’re not just a study aid for law students; we’re the study aid for law students.

    Learn about our approachRead more about Quimbee

Here's why 806,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:

  • Written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students. 46,300 briefs, keyed to 988 casebooks. Top-notch customer support.
  • The right amount of information, includes the facts, issues, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents.
  • Access in your classes, works on your mobile and tablet. Massive library of related video lessons and high quality multiple-choice questions.
  • Easy to use, uniform format for every case brief. Written in plain English, not in legalese. Our briefs summarize and simplify; they don’t just repeat the court’s language.

Access this case brief for FREE

With a 7-day free trial membership
Here's why 806,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:
  • Reliable - written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students
  • The right length and amount of information - includes the facts, issue, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents
  • Access in your class - works on your mobile and tablet
  • 46,300 briefs - keyed to 988 casebooks
  • Uniform format for every case brief
  • Written in plain English - not in legalese and not just repeating the court's language
  • Massive library of related video lessons - and practice questions
  • Top-notch customer support

Access this case brief for FREE

With a 7-day free trial membership

Casebooks

Antitrust

Key Terms