Sometimes a chart speaks volumes.
Google’s lobby expenditures shot up dramatically in 2011. The company’s most recent report shows fourth-quarter spending of $3.76 million, its largest amount yet. Altogether, it spent nearly $9.7 million in 2011.
Yet our bar graph doesn’t tell the whole story.
Web companies won big last month in their successful effort to block online-piracy legislation, and their victory wasn’t based solely on lobbying.
In a one-day online protest, Google blacked out its logo. Wikipedia went dark. Millions of people signed online petitions and emailed Congress voicing their opposition.
And despite massive lobbying by proponents of the legislation, support crumbled for the two bills – the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the Protect Intellectual Property Act (PIPA).
Online protesters had outperformed the lobbyists.
However, don’t expect lobbying to taper off. Google clearly understands the importance of a Washington presence, not only on the issue of piracy, but on antitrust, user privacy, cybercrime, foreign revenues and other topics central to its business.
In addition to its own lobbyists, the company employed 22 firms in the in the last quarter of 2011. Its hired guns included former Rep. Dick Gephardt (D-MO), one of the First Street 30 list of top D.C. lobbyists.
| Lobby firm | Amount |
| Podesta Group, Inc. | $130,000 |
| Crossroads Strategies, LLC | $80,000 |
| Dutko Worldwide, LLC | $80,000 |
| Franklin Square Group LLC | $80,000 |
| Gephardt Group Government Affairs | $80,000 |
| Holland & Knight LLP | $80,000 |
| The Ingram Group LLC dba The First Group | $80,000 |
| The Raben Group, LLC | $80,000 |
| Nelson, Mullins, Riley & Scarborough, LLP | $75,000 |
| Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP | $70,000 |
| Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP | $60,000 |
| Bingham McCutchen LLP | $60,000 |
| McBee Strategic Consulting, LLC. | $60,000 |
| R. B. Murphy & Associates, LLC | $60,000 |
| The Normandy Group, LLC | $60,000 |
| Capitol Legislative Strategies LLC | $50,000 |
| Chesapeake Enterprises | $50,000 |
| The Lugar Group LLC | $50,000 |
| Tuggey Fernandez LLP | $30,000 |
| Prime Policy Group | $20,000 |
| Wiltshire & Grannis LLP (f/k/a Harris, Wiltshire & Grannis LLP) | $20,000 |
| Brown Winick Graves Gross Baskerville & Schoenebaum, PLC | < $5,000 |
Here’s a list of legislation that Google lobbied on during the last quarter:
112 H.R.12: American Jobs Act of 2011
112 H.R.1389: Global Online Freedom Act of 2011
112 H.R.1834: Freedom to Invest Act of 2011
112 H.R.2471: To amend section 2710 of title 18 ( video tape service providers)
112 H.R.2520: Spectrum for Innovation Act of 2011
112 H.R.2701: Main Street Fairness Act
112 H.R.3261: Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA)
112 H.R.3509: Wireless Innovation and Public Safety Act of 2011
112 H.R.654: Do Not Track Me Online Act
112 S.1011: Electronic Communications Privacy Act Amendments Act of 2011
112 S.1151: Personal Data Privacy and Security Act of 2011
112 S.1152: Cybersecurity Enhancement Act of 2011
112 S.1207: Data Security and Breach Notification Act of 2011
112 S.1223: Location Privacy Protection Act of 2011
112 S.1408: Data Breach Notification Act of 2011
112 S.1434: Data Security Act of 2011
112 S.1452: Main Street Fairness Act
112 S.1469: International Cybercrime Reporting and Cooperation Act
112 S.1535: Personal Data Protection and Breach Accountability Act of 2011
112 S.1549: American Jobs Act of 2011
112 S.1671: Foreign Earnings Reinvestment Act
112 S.2029: Online Protection and Enforcement of Digital Trade Act
112 S.21: Cyber Security and American Cyber Competitiveness Act of 2011
112 S.413: Cybersecurity and Internet Freedom Act of 2011
112 S.455: RADIOS Act
112 S.522: Spectrum Relocation Improvement Act of 2011
112 S.799: Commercial Privacy Bill of Rights Act of 2011
112 S.813: Cyber Security Public Awareness Act of 2011
112 S.911: SPECTRUM Act
112 S.913: Do-Not-Track Online Act of 2011
112 S.968: Preventing Real Online Threats to Economic Creativity and Theft of Intellectual Property Act of 2011 (PIPA)
112 S.978: A bill to amend the criminal penalty provision for criminal infringement of a copyright, and for other purposes.
[...] lobbying experience of Molinari proved too valuable to pass up. Google’s lobby expenditures shot up dramatically in 2011. In Molinari, Google is gaining an experienced lobbyist who has worked for multiple firms and a [...]