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Samsung boosts lobbying spend by 500 percent in 2012

Samsung boosts lobbying spend by 500 percent in 2012

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Samsung (STOCK)
Samsung (STOCK)

Samsung’s presence in the US is expanding on every front, from its huge smartphone sales numbers to its planned 1.1 million square foot campus in Silicon Valley. Now Bloomberg reports that it’s done the same thing in Washington, boosting its lobbying spend from $150,000 in 2011 to $900,000 in 2012.

"A prudent step as part of day-to-day business operations."

So why the increase? The $598 million in damages that Samsung is being ordered to pay Apple in the US no doubt figure into the equation, but so does its growing US presence and a general trend toward more lobbying spending by major tech companies. Samsung says that the increase is "a prudent step as part of day-to-day business operations" and its "commitment to transparency." And while it’s a big increase, $900,000 is still only half of what Apple spent, and small potatoes compared to Google and Microsoft, which paid out $18.2 million and $8.1 million respectively last year.