Report: ESA Spent Over $714K In Q1 To Lobby Government

The Entertainment Software Association spent over $714,000 in the first quarter of 2008 to lobby the federal government on several issues, including First Amendment and intellectual property issues, according to an Associated Press report on a recent disclosure form filed in April with the House clerk's office. The trade group lobbied on First Amendment issues, measures promoting parental control technology, proposals that will keep violent video games away from children, measures to protect intellectual property, patent reform and trade issues, and measures to crack down on piracy, In addition to lobbying Congress in the first three months of 2008, the ESA lobbied the Patent and Trademark Office, U.S. Copyright Office, Commerce Department, U.S. Trade Representative, Federal Trade Commission, Federal Communications Commission and other agencies. This follows the ESA's March appointment of former Chamber of Commerce senior lobbyist and Capitol Hill Legislative aide Sally Jefferson as its vice president of government affairs to assist with its lobbying. Jefferson was brought in to manage government relations on video game-related issues and the ESA's relationships with organizations representing state politicians. Speaking on the ESA's challenges ahead, senior vice president of government affairs Ed Desmond listed several items, such as constitutional concerns, tax incentive legislation, and empowering parents with tools and information to protect their children, as issues facing the computer and video game industry which the ESA hopes to address.