Peace of Paris

Will H. Hays, tsar of U. S. cinema, sailed home from France last week feeling something like Owen D. Young. Under his chairmanship a meeting of German and U. S. cinemanufacturers (TIME, June 30) had at last concluded a Pact of Paris on patents and markets.

The U. S. delegates, representing almost all producers and manufacturers, and the Germans, representing chiefly Tobis-Klangfilm (subsidiary of great electrical Siemens & Halske) were chiefly concerned about conflicting talkie patents.

Warner Bros, used to be the only U. S. producers allowed to show talkies in Germany, having shrewdly bought an interest in Tobis Klangfilm. Fortnight ago a U. S. quota of 210 foreign films (including U. S. films) to be imported by Germany from July i, 1930, to June 30, 1931, was arranged by Mr. Hays. In last week's Peace at Paris, "spheres of influence" throughout the world were established. U. S. talkie men received as their share of the world market the U. S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Straits Settlement, India, Russia. The Germans received most of Central Europe plus Norway, Sweden, Finland and the Dutch East Indies. Other countries, notably France and Great Britain, will be areas of free competition. The two groups will exchange patents.

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