It's not a secret that big companies spend lots of money over in Washington DC in order to influence US lawmakers and other government officials. Microsoft has been one of the biggest spenders in government lobbying efforts. Bloomberg reports that Microsoft spend about $1.85 million in the last quarter that ended on June 30 on government lobbying activities. However the report says that for the first time, Microsoft got outspent by one of its biggest rivals.
Google reportedly spent $2.06 million on its lobbying projects in the second quarter. That's a whopping 54 percent increase from the same period a year ago. By contrast, Microsoft's lobbying budget for the quarter was about flat compared to last year. Part of the reason for Google's increase in spending was due to its efforts to fight Microsoft over certain items. For example, Microsoft tried to fight over Google's proposed acquisition of ITA Software, which tracks airline fares. In the end the Justice Department ignored Microsoft's complaints and approved Google's $676 million purchase of ITA.
Microsoft also spent money to fight Google's efforts to put millions of out-of-print books online. The company had previously reached a settlement with writers, the Authors Guild and members of the Association of American Publishers to offer online access to these books. However a judge rejected the settlement deal last March.
Microsoft spends its lobbying money to help give its side of the story on issues like high speed Internet access, education, online security, and taxes. Microsoft extended its efforts to not just members of the US Congress but other US government divisions like the Department of Defense, the Commerce Department, the Environmental Protection Agency and more.
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