Notably the Ars Technica article[1] dug up a CNN article[2] from January saying that $4 million of that $5 million was just on SOPA/PIPA. In any case, the Publ

Notably the Ars Technica article[1] dug up a CNN article[2] from January saying that $4 million of that $5 million was just on SOPA/PIPA. In any case, the Public Knowledge guy is right. You can't set the expectation that good guys (which might not include google for you) don't participate in the broken system and also expect good things to happen. Just like with software patents. (actually, lobbying may be a really good use of the reported increased revenue Mozilla is now receiving, though it may be difficult for their more distributed decision making process to advocate on more controversial topics. On many open web important issues, though, I would trust them to have a clear voice and do honest lobbying, and a few million should be easily covered by that increase). [1] http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/news/2012/04/google-on-track-to-outspend-banks-big-tobacco-in-lobbying.ars http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/news/2012/04/google-on-track-... [2] http://money.cnn.com/2012/01/25/technology/sopa_pipa_lobby/index.htm http://money.cnn.com/2012/01/25/technology/sopa_pipa_lobby/i...