Why It Matters

Axel Springer SE, the German media giant that owns Politico and Business Insider, is keeping its Washington lobbying operation running at a steady clip. The company's core concern, based on prior disclosures, centers on how AI companies use journalistic content and whether publishers receive fair compensation for it. A legislative solution would likely involve some form of copyright protection or licensing framework for news content used to train AI systems.

By the Numbers

The First Quarter 2026 filing reflects $110,000 in in-house lobbying spend. That matches the amount reported in the First Quarter of 2025 and holds steady from the Third and Fourth Quarters of 2025.

This is one of three First Quarter 2026 disclosures filed on behalf of Axel Springer. The other two are from outside firms: Marla Grossman LLC and ACG Advocacy LLC, both of which list copyright issues as their lobbying subject.

Axel Springer's in-house lobbyist, Amelia Binder, has filed eight disclosures on behalf of the company dating back to mid-2024, with a combined total of $801,774 in reported lobbying spend. The Second Quarter 2025 filing was the highest single quarter at $166,774. The company has maintained a consistent three-pronged lobbying structure, combining Binder's in-house work with the two outside firms.

The Agenda

The first quarter 2026 in-house disclosure lists no specific issues or legislation. That marks a departure from prior quarters, when Binder's filings cited "policy issues related to copyright and artificial intelligence, specifically fair compensation for use of journalistic content," as well as "preservation of advertising deductibility."

The two outside firm filings for the same quarter list only "copyright issues" without further elaboration. No legislation is cited in any of the three first quarter 2026 disclosures.

In prior quarters, the in-house filings were more descriptive. The second and third quarter 2025 filings both referenced AI and copyright together, framing the issue around compensation for journalistic content. The last quarter 2025 filing dropped the advertising deductibility language but kept the AI-copyright framing.

Broader Context

The lobbying activity comes as the broader media and AI industries remain in active conflict over content licensing. Reuters reported in September 2025 that Meta was in talks with Axel Springer, Fox Corp, and News Corp to license news content for AI products. Axel Springer had previously signed a licensing deal with OpenAI, according to Wired, allowing the company's articles from Business Insider and Politico to be incorporated into OpenAI products.

On the litigation front, Best Law Firms reported that 14 major publishers, including Axel Springer companies, sued AI developer Cohere Inc. for copyright infringement in February 2025.

Poynter reported in 2026 on a push to establish statutory licensing requirements that would compel AI companies to pay for news content, noting that publishers like Axel Springer have pursued individual licensing deals while broader policy solutions remain unsettled.

Axel Springer has also been active on the acquisitions front. Axios reported in March 2026 that the company struck a deal to acquire The Telegraph, the British newspaper, for approximately £575 million.

On the business side, Status News reported that Business Insider laid off 21 percent of its workforce in 2025 while missing revenue targets. Politico also announced restructuring and buyouts, cutting 3 percent of its staff.

The Bottom Line

Axel Springer is a sustained and consistent presence in Washington lobbying. The company has maintained the same basic team structure across multiple quarters, spending over $800,000 through its in-house operation alone since mid-2024. The first quarter 2026 in-house filing is notable for its lack of disclosed issues, a change from prior quarters that had described AI and copyright concerns in some detail. The outside firms remain focused on copyright. The lobbying picture is consistent with a company navigating an active policy environment around AI content use, even as the specific legislative targets remain undisclosed.

Access the Legis1 platform for comprehensive political news, data, and insights.