Google spent 8 times more on government lobbying than Apple in Q2 2012

The results, unearthed by Philip Elmer-Dewitt of Apple 2.0, reveal that Google spent more than 8 times as much as Apple on congressional lobbying. Both companies' amounts were down from the first quarter of 2012, when Google spent over $5 million, while Apple spent $500,000.

Public records show which specific bills Apple's lobbying efforts were related to in Washington. Among them was the Stop Online Piracy Act, the Protect IP Act, the Digital Goods and Services Tax Fairness Act, and the Job Creation & Innovation Act.

Apple also showed interest in digital textbooks, education technology funding, wireless spectrum assignments, and online consumer protection bills, particularly with respect to children's identities on the Internet.

Also included on the list of specific lobbying issues was "Electronic Waste, Energy Star, EPEAT, Green Technology." Its inclusion is noteworthy because earlier this month Apple decided to withdraw its products from EPEAT green certification, only to reverse that decision and admit in the process that the company had made a "mistake."

The latest numbers show that the distance between Apple and Google in money spent on lobbying continues to grow. For example, in the first quarter of 2011, Apple spent about 560,000, or one-third the amount Google and Microsoft had each spent in the same three-month span.