As Antitrust Pressure Intensifies... Apple Spends Record Lobbying Costs in 1Q

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Hyunjin] Apple reportedly spent the largest amount ever on lobbying in the first quarter (January to March) of this year to counter antitrust pressure from the U.S. Congress on tech companies, Bloomberg reported on the 20th (local time).

According to the report, Apple disclosed in its public data that it spent $2.5 million (approximately 3.1 billion KRW) on lobbying in the first quarter of this year, a 34% increase compared to $1.86 million in the fourth quarter of last year. The previous highest amount was $2.2 million in the second quarter of 2017.

Apple revealed that it engaged in lobbying activities related to various issues, including antitrust bills aimed at preventing the concentration of power among big tech companies. A representative antitrust bill is the 'Open App Market' bill, which prohibits app market operators like Apple or Google from forcing in-app payments.

Big tech companies have actively lobbied for years in response to regulatory pressures from U.S. politics. Alphabet, Google's parent company, spent $2.96 million on lobbying in the first quarter of this year, a 34% increase from the fourth quarter of last year but the same as the same period last year. Microsoft (MS) spent $2.5 million on lobbying in the first quarter of this year, a 1.9% decrease compared to the same period last year.

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