Subscribe RSSFrom pushing for approval of its DoubleClick acquisition in 2007 to its failed attempt to strike a search and online partnership with Yahoo in 2008 to last year's wrangling with book publishers to 2010's expected tussle over its $750 million purchase of mobile advertising start-up AdMob, Google's presence in D.C. is only going to rise as its ambitions expand.
In the fourth quarter of 2009--according to its report, which you can read in its entirety below--Google spent $1.12 million lobbying the House and Senate, as well as the Federal Trade Commission and other government agencies, on topics such as "privacy and competition issues" related to online advertising, copyright laws and its book search settlement.
And this does not take into account Google's spending in states across the country, as well as globally.
Interestingly, Microsoft's reported lobbying spending in D.C.--which the software giant has been doing for much longer, with an even more complicated presence (can you say: consent decree?)--has declined in that same period, although it remains larger than Google's.
