We don't normally hear much about the lobbying activities of technology companies, but any organization that engages in lobbying is required to file quarterly and yearly disclosure forms. For instance, the RIAA spent a bit over $2 million in 2007, but companies like Apple also spend a good chunk of change on lobbying ever year. Following Apple's latest filing, the company spent $450,000 on lobbying for a range of issues during the second quarter of this year.
If you're curious about what the money went to, the electronic disclosure forms list the sectors that the money was spent on. In terms of copyright, Apple lobbied the Patent Reform Act of 2007, as well as US and EU copyright laws. Apple lobbyists also took on Energy Star, electronic waste, and clean energy issues during the second quarter. Time was spent lobbying acts related to lead in toys, credit and debit receipts, technology in education, a variety of trade concerns, and the Research Competitiveness Act, too.
In terms of technology-specific issues, Apple weighed in on the anti-spyware Counter Spy Act and a number of more general technology bills. These included the Universal Service Reform Act, the Internet Freedom Preservation Act, and the 21st Century Communications & Accessibility Act. Sadly, the filing doesn't tell us what position Apple took on a particular issue or what its lobbying activities to the various agencies and departments entailed, but maybe someone will ask Steve Jobs about one or two of these so we get some idea of which side Apple is going for.
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