government
Google lobbyists outspent Apple nearly 10 to 1 so far in '12
July 23, 2012: 10:00 AM ETApple's chief concerns: Copyright, patents, taxes, privacy, education, cybersecurity, green tech
Source: Congressional lobbying disclosure reports
FORTUNE -- The congressional lobbying disclosure reports for the second quarter of 2012 are out, and once again Google (GOOG) has outspent Apple (AAPL) nearly 10 to one. (See For every $1 Google spends lobbying, Apple spends 10¢.)
This was my first exposure to the forms public companies are required to file under the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995, and I found them fascinating. For example, you can see, line by line, which bills Apple is concerned about.
The list is long, and it ranges from the Do Not Track Kids Act of 2011 to "issues related to the transportation of batteries." Given the latest kerfuffle about Apple's temporary withdrawal from the Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool program a couple weeks ago, I was interested to see "EPEAT" on the list.
It's a great resource. You can check out Apple's report here and Google's here.
For an unsettling backgrounder on the dynamics of lobbying, I highly recommend Take the Money and Run for Office, an eye-opening expose that Chicago Public Radio's This American Life aired in March.
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