ESA Spends $714K Lobbying Politicians

The Entertainment Software Association has spent $714,000 during the first quarter of 2008 lobbying politicians for legislative support.

A lobbying disclosure form submitted by the ESA on April 21 to the House of Representative's Clerk's office discloses expenses totaling $714,364.50 between January 1 and March 31 of this year.

Lobbyists hired by the organization to represent the industry are Edward Desmond, Gina Grandinetti and Sara Evers. They're paid to push industry self-regulation legislation on lawmakers. The ESA aims to fight piracy, protect intellectual property and monitor kids' exposure to violent content.

Government agencies targeted outside of Congress include Patent and Trademark Office, U.S. Copyright Office, Commerce Department, U.S. Trade Representative, Federal Trade Commission and the Federal Communications Commission, all of which have some effect on controlling game content and business practices.

Source: Yahoo