[Advocacy Advisors] FB, Google, & Amazon join forces in DC lobby

[Michelle Paulson]

Facebook, Google, Amazon join forces in D.C. lobby

By Cecilia Kang<http://www.washingtonpost.com/cecilia-kang/2011/02/28/ABFs9eL_page.html>

Internet titans Facebook, Google, Amazon and Yahoo on Wednesday will launch
a new lobbying association to counter efforts by federal regulators to
strap new rules
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/in-silicon-valley-fast-firms-and-slow-regulators/2012/07/05/gJQAsc4YQW_story.html>to
their industry.

The Internet Association, led by Capitol Hill veteran Michael Beckerman,
aims to band together Silicon Valley's biggest Internet firms on issues
such as piracy and copyright,
privacy<http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/web-privacy-guidelines-viewed-as-win-for-google/2012/02/23/gIQAyyFhWR_story.html>and
cybersecurity.

The lobbying shop, with four staff members and plans to hire more, has 14
members that include IAC, LinkedIn and Zynga. Absent from the roster are
Microsoft and Apple — rivals to Google, in particular, in mobile software
and advertising.

The trade association, the first for the Web industry, was created in
response to last year’s successful fight against anti-piracy legislation
that the firms feared would block or punish their sites for containing
pirated movies, books and songs. The bills, known as the Stop Online Piracy
Act
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/sopa-protests-to-shut-down-web-sites/2012/01/17/gIQA4WYl6P_story.html>and
Protect IP Act, were derailed after online protests. The bills, supported
by some authors and Hollywood, are expected to be revived as Congress
grapples with ways to prevent online content theft.

“SOPA and PIPA came almost out of nowhere and would have had a devastating
impact,” said Beckerman, former deputy staff director of the House Energy &
Commerce Committee.

The lobbying group comes as Silicon Valley giants bolster their lobbying
budgets and expand offices in Washington.
Google<http://www.washingtonpost.com/google-facing-force-of-aggressive-eu-regulators/2012/07/22/gJQAPSX02W_story.html>has
already spent nearly $9 million on lobbying in the first two quarters
of 2012, compared to $3.5 million during the comparable period last year.
Facebook has spent $1.6 million in first two quarters of this year compared
to $550,000 last year.

-- 
Michelle Paulson
Legal Counsel
Wikimedia Foundation
149 New Montgomery Street, 3rd Floor
San Francisco, CA 94105
mpaulson at wikimedia.org
415.839.6885 ext. 6608 (Office)
415.882.0495 (Fax)




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