Mike

Godwin
Silver Spring, MD 20910 | 202-763-3307
mnemonic@gmail.com | https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelgodwin1/

General Counsel/Policy Counsel

Internet Law / Policy
Effective, experienced attorney /author licensed in CA, DC, and TX with practice-area expertise spanning criminal law,
constitutional law, copyright law, media law, technology regulation, and cybersecurity. Diverse legal background with
more than 20 years’ experience supporting and advising on policy development pertaining technology, media, and
internet. Experienced general-counsel practice including drafting personnel policy, human-resources management,
and labor-law compliance.

§ Public / Private Corporations § Employee Work Visa / Residency
§ Technology & Intellectual Property Law § ADEA and ADA compliance
§ Music Licensing, Other Copyright Issues § C-Level and Board Level Legal Advice
§ Digital Privacy, including GDPR § Fair Labor Standards Act and FMLA
§ First Amendment / Article 19 § International Internet Law

Professional Experience
R STREET INSTITUTE, Washington, DC
General Counsel, Distinguished Senior Fellow, 2015 – Present
Guide legal initiatives across subject-matter areas include telecommunications policy, patent and copyright reform,
surveillance reform, technology policy, freedom of expression, and global internet policy. Partner with members of
Congress and Congressional and federal-agency staff on all aspects of internet-policy and technology issues, including
digital privacy, internet surveillance, copyright, network neutrality, and consumer protection and privacy. Spearhead
research on telecommunication policy and drafting position on legislative and regulatory issues.
§ Deliver recommendations to C-level executives on service and purchase contracts, personnel and labor
matters, enhancing ethical practice and compliance.
§ Built and maintained technology-policy department as expert in technology issues.

INTERNEWS, Washington, DC
Senior Policy Advisor, Consultant, 2013 – 2015
Guided organization’s public-policy partners in developing / transitional democracies to complete Global Internet
Policy Project. Administered federal sub-grant programs for partner organizations spanning Philippines, South Sudan,
Colombia, Peru, Nigeria, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, India, Pakistan, Thailand, Myanmar, and Cambodia.
§ Drafted ICT policy paper to provide guidance on litigation and consumer-access strategies in developing
countries.
§ Shaped and mentored advocacy on local internet policy and litigation in Latin America, Africa, Asia, and the
Pacific Rim.
§ Developed Internews policy regarding applicability export-control regime of Wassenaar Arrangement towards
censorship and surveillance technologies.

Continued…
 Mike Godwin • Page 2


WIKIMEDIA FOUNDATION (WMF), San Francisco, CA
General Counsel and Consulting Attorney, 2007 - 2012
Established and directed legal department and legal strategies for non-profit organization that operated Wikipedia
and other international online resources. Negotiated leases, service contracts, and licensing contracts. Oversaw
outside counsel and law clerks in litigation issues. Defined privacy, trademark, and copyright strategies, litigation
responses, and policies for legislation and cases to ensure the successful operation of WMF in the US and abroad.
§ Engineered legal framework for organizational growth from 10 employees to more than 200 employees by
building a high-performance legal team and implementing personnel policies.
§ Safeguarded annual revenue growth from $2M to $20M by preventing lawsuits, avoiding bad contract terms,
and increasing regulatory compliance.
§ Devised and implemented successful Wikipedia strategy, including government-relations strategy, challenging
Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and PROTECT IP Act (PIPA) legislation.

YALE LAW SCHOOL & YALE DEPT. OF COMPUTER SCIENCE, New Haven, CT
Research Fellow, 2005 - 2007
Built and communicated leading-edge analysis knowledge in technology policy through advising Privacy, Obligations &
Rights in Technologies of Information Assessment (PORTIA) project. Assumed substantial responsibility in areas of
research. Conducted extensive research and authored the guide for American Library Association on copyright and
digital-rights-management issues.

PUBLIC KNOWLEDGE, Washington, DC
Senior Technology Counsel and Legal Director, 2003 - 2005
Positioned nonprofit group to ensure technology and information access and other rights for consumers through
conceptualizing and executing all legal and regulatory initiatives and Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
litigation. Proposed cutting-edge policy positions on technology issues for FCC, Congress, other government agencies,
industry, and consumer groups to accelerate policy reforms.

Additional Experience:
Policy Fellow and Staff Counsel | CENTER FOR DEMOCRACY AND TECHNOLOGY, Washington, DC
Founding Staff Counsel / First Employee | ELECTRONIC FRONTIER FOUNDATION, Cambridge, MA
Adjunct Professor, Internet & Media Law | TISCH SCHOOL OF THE ARTS, NEW YORK UNIVERSITY, New York, NY
Freedom Forum Fellow | MEDIA STUDIES CENTER, New York, NY
Adjunct Professor, Internet & Media Law | SCHOOL OF VISUAL ARTS, New York, NY

Education & Credentials

JD, University of Texas - Austin, TX, BA, Plan II Liberal Arts, University of Texas - Austin, TX
Bar Admissions: State Bar of California (1995), District of Columbia Bar (1992), State Bar of Texas (1990)
Languages: English plus basic Spanish, French, and German
Professional Affiliations: Student Press Law Center – Former Board Member; Open Software Initiative – Former
Board Member; Privacy International – Advisory Board Member; Internet Society
Selected public writings and appearances at Slate (http://www.slate.com/authors.mike_godwin.html), at
Reason (http://reason.com/people/mike-godwin/all), at Wired (https://www.wired.com/author/mike-godwin/), at Techdirt
(https://www.techdirt.com/search.php?aid=mike.godwin&search=Search), and at YouTube (https://youtu.be/f6GoII4lfT0
and https://youtu.be/wqQOvxyj66w)