IP Counsel

YOU’LL BE OUR: IP Counsel (Drafting)

YOU’LL BE BASED AT: IBC Knowledge Park, Bangalore

YOU’LL BE ALIGNED WITH: Chief IP Counsel

YOU’LL BE A MEMBER OF: Corporate Legal

Role Summary:

Reporting to the Chief IP Counsel, the intellectual property counsel will implement the strategic vision addressing Ather’s current and future intellectual property and work in partnership with other senior leaders to implement overall strategic directives.

Her/his core responsibilities includes patent portfolio management, patent drafting, prosecution, IP Searches (Patentability, Freedom to Operate), and enforcement. Additionally, IP Counsel would be overlooking and supporting the team with patent analytics and intelligence. Further, s/he would have to review publication, prepare due diligence reports, and maintain MIS of teamwork. The IP counsel will be an integral working partner with the company’s research and development teams, strategic business units, and corporate counsels, and will be a team member of Ather’s intellectual property department. 

What you’ll do at Ather

• Implementation of IP Strategy of Organization

• Patent/Design Drafting & Filing: Work with inventors and IP Analysts to prepare high quality patent drafts and file it at the Indian Patent Office. 

• Patent lifecycle management: Handling and managing all prosecution activities including FER responses, appearing in Hearings etc, additionally managing maintenance activities like payment of annuities.

• Invention Scouting: working with R&D teams to identify potential protectable inventions and designs and help them develop said inventions and designs. 

• IP Prosecution & Maintenance: Working with associate firms to develop strategy to respond to office actions, hearings, perform IP maintenance activities. 

• Analytics & Due Diligence: Carry out or assist in various analytics & due diligence projects like Freedom-to-operate, availability searches, landscapes, prior art searches, whitespace etc. 

• Backend Support: Maintain and manage internal IP docketing tools, trackers, preparing MIS reports. 

• Provide internal IP consultations and clearances.

• Manage support activities like budgeting, IP audits, due diligence. 

• Work with other teams like Corporate Legal, Marketing, R&D to provide IP consultations and clearances. 

• Manage overall IP management process & its dashboards, including open-source compliance, patent risk assessment etc.

• To frontend & coordinate with all internal stakeholders & law firms for all patent, design, copyright, trademark or domain name disputes or litigations

Here’s what we are looking for

• This position requires an accomplished patent agent with an accessible and enthusiastic personal style and strong business orientation, being an active listener and observer

• Exposure to basic IP’s viz. Patents & Designs, with specialization in Patent Drafting and prosecution

• A registered and practicing patent agent with hands-on experience in Patent Drafting, filing and prosecution at Indian Patent Office

• Experience in Drafting International Applications (PCT, US, EP) is an added advantage

• Must have the ability to build relationships that foster a cohesive, committed team environment and to effectively collaborate with cross-functional teams.

• It is imperative that the individual have excellent interpersonal skills, be articulate, direct and forthright, and be a collaborative and decisive team member and a strategic thinker with a broad perspective.

• Strong ability to adapt to changes and to be agile.

• The successful candidate will have an intense commitment to high moral standards and business ethics.

What you bring to Ather

• Bachelors/Masters degree with specialization in mechanical / automotive / electronics / electrical / computer engineeringfrom a premium engineering college or university

• S/he will have a 3 to 6 years of relevant intellectual property experience with in-depth early training and broad inhouse R&D experience or in a IP law firm, including experience managing high volume intellectual property workflow, and experience with both national and international patent systems