Lead Legal Counsel at Via Licensing

Overview:

Via's mission as a patent licensing program administrator is to promote and enable innovation using intellectual property rights in partnership with technology companies, entertainment companies, and universities around the world.  Via is an independently managed subsidiary of Dolby Laboratories, Inc., a company with more than 50 years of experience in innovation and technology licensing.  Join the leader in IP solutions’ provider and help us design the future.  As a member of the Via team, you’ll see and hear the results of your work everywhere, from TVs to smartphones. To do that, we need the absolute best talent. The overall corporate enterprise is big enough to give you all the resources you need, and Via is small enough so you can make a real difference and earn recognition for your work. We offer a collegial culture, challenging projects, and excellent compensation and benefits.

This is a uniquely diverse, cross-functional, IP focused position that will require the candidate to be a fast learner, a problem solver and results-driven individual. The successful candidate will be responsible for supporting all business functions of Via and day-to-day company legal needs.  Applicant must be capable of multi-tasking and managing a diverse set of projects and dispute resolutions in coordination with internal and external stakeholders.  In addition, the applicant will interact with Via’s business partners, including key patent licensing program licensors and licensees, to drive successful program outcomes.  A successful candidate will also regularly partner with Via’s senior leaders across the company to effectively provide intellectual property deliverables and advice for sophisticated transactions and business deals.  Based in San Francisco, the position reports to Via’s Senior Director of Legal & IP Enforcement.

Key Responsibilities:

• Support Via’s general legal needs across all functions.
• Support Via in licensee audits and contract compliance, resolve audit disputes, including pre-litigation dispute resolution efforts, and other breach-of-contract matters.
• Draft, review and negotiate non-disclosure agreements, patent licensing agreements, settlement agreements, vendor contracts and other general business contracts.
• Work with Via’s global licensing team to develop program operational guidelines and agreement templates and develop and define program criteria and processes.
• Assist in the handling of other legal and corporate mattes related to Via’s non-licensing businesses as they arise, ranging from corporate governance and commercial disputes.  Emphasis on providing practical solutions to enable Via’s business and operational needs.
• Manage pending commercial and IP enforcement disputes, including both domestic and foreign pre-litigation, litigation, patent proceeding and arbitration.  Work closely with outside counsel in formulating strategy, drafting pleadings, briefs, and managing discovery.
• Counsel management in connection with complex transactional matters associated with IP licensing and collaboration agreements, licensing strategies and protection of IP rights.

Qualifications:

• Juris Doctor degree from top-tier law school and admitted to practice in at least one US jurisdiction and the USPTO.
• A minimum of 4 years legal experience at a top-tier law firm and/or in-house environment with hands-on experience in litigation, IP litigation, dispute resolution, and/or IP transactions.  Experience asserting and licensing patents strongly desirable.
• Experience working with teams and business partners distributed worldwide and staying on top of global legal issues.
• Ability to coordinate as necessary with company’s finance, corporate, tax, privacy, and other subject matter experts.
• Excellent negotiation skills and problem-solving instincts.
• Self-initiative and ability to work with minimum of direction under time pressure.

Additional Desired, But Not Required, Qualifications:

• Experience in standard bodies, standard-essential patents, and licensing programs and/or patent pools
• Management of worldwide patent or licensing strategies

Dolby will consider qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with the requirements of San Francisco Police Code, Article 49, and Administrative Code, Article 12

Equal Employment Opportunity:
Dolby is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. Our success depends on the combined skills and talents of all our employees. We are committed to making employment decisions without regard to race, religious creed, color, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, religion, marital status, family status, medical condition, disability, military service, pregnancy, childbirth and related medical conditions or any other classification protected by federal, state, and local laws and ordinances.

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