Stevan (Steve) Mitchell

I'm a government relations advocate and counsel with 20+ years of experience and a reputation for creating solutions in emerging areas demanding public-private collaboration and information-sharing, such as intellectual property, infrastructure assurance/cybersecurity, and international trade policy.

I am serving as Vice President, Intellectual Property Policy for the Entertainment Software Association, the U.S. association exclusively dedicated to serving the business, public affairs and policy needs of companies that publish computer and video games for video game consoles, personal computers, and the Internet. My responsibilities at ESA include overseeing ESA's engagement on matters of domestic and international intellectual property, trade and enforcement policy.

Prior to joining the ESA, I served as Senior Counsel to the Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section of the U.S. Department of Justice, and as a Member of the President's Commission on Critical Infrastructure Protection (PCCIP). As a PCCIP Commissioner, I was responsible for many of the legal studies and recommendations produced by the Commission, including Legal Foundations, a 14-volume study of legal issues associated with infrastructure protection.

Previously, as a Trial Attorney with the Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section, l litigated cases under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act and provided oversight, consultation and guidance on investigations and prosecutions involving illegal uses of technology. I also co-authored the second edition of the Department of Justice's intellectual property rights prosecution manual. (The current edition is available for downloading at www.cybercrime.gov/ipmanual.htm).

I earned my law degree from the Florida State University College of Law, where I was honored to serve as the Editor-in-Chief of the Law Review. After completing my judicial clerkship in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida, I joined the Criminal Division of the Department of Justice through its Honor Graduate Program.