ESA lobbying rises to $4.2M in 2008
Gaming-industry representative body once again ramps up annual spending on issues ranging from copyright protection to ratings to free speech.
If anything can be said about former Bush Administration official Michael Gallagher's time as president of the Entertainment Software Association, it's that he has significantly ramped up the trade body's lobbying efforts in Washington.
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Recently disclosed public documents indicate that the ESA directly spent more than $3.6 million in 2008 on a variety of issues affecting the gaming industry. That figure is a substantial uptick from 2007, when the ESA spent a then-record $2.86 million on lobbying efforts, up from $2.3 million in 2006 when the ESA was headed by Doug Lowenstein.
As with last year, the ESA focused its efforts primarily on matters dealing with copyright, ratings, and free-speech issues. Namely, the ESA called out "media violence, First Amendment protection, entertainment industry ratings, parental control technology, content/video game sale regulation, and retailer enforcement of ratings" as areas of concern.
In addition to its own lobbying efforts, the ESA spent nearly $1 million more in 2008 on contracted services from a handful of firms. The trade group relied on its partners for such matters as intellectual property rights, customs, and trade adjustment assistance, which according to the US Department of Commerce, "provides financial assistance to manufacturers affected by import competition."
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