Corporate Counsel, Intellectual Property Enforcement

PlayStation Global•San Mateo, CA

8d•$209,800 - $314,600•Hybrid

About The Position

Sony Interactive Entertainment’s Legal, Public Policy & ESG team is seeking an experienced lawyer to join its IP Enforcement practice. The role combines technically complex copyright and content-protection work with online and offline enforcement addressing piracy, pre-release leaks, game modifications, circumvention, emulators, and other evolving threats to PlayStation games and content. The Corporate Counsel will serve as the primary legal contact for IP enforcement in the Americas, with particular focus on PlayStation Studios and SIE’s Game Protection Program. The position reports to the Director, Global IP Enforcement in the UK and works closely with legal, technical, investigative, security, fraud, and business teams worldwide. It includes contentious, advisory, and strategic work involving intellectual property, entertainment, video games, and technology. The role is based in San Mateo, California, with a hybrid schedule requiring two days per week in the San Mateo office.

Requirements

Qualified lawyer with approximately 6–12 years of post-qualified experience in intellectual property enforcement, gained in-house and/or in private practice.
J.D. from an accredited U.S. law school.
Current membership in good standing of a U.S. state bar; California Bar membership is preferred.
If not admitted in California, eligibility to obtain Registered In-House Counsel status in California promptly upon hire and maintain that status throughout employment.
Strong knowledge and practical experience of U.S. copyright law and the DMCA, including online enforcement, notice-and-takedown processes, counternotices, safe harbors, fair use, and intermediary liability.
Experience developing and executing IP enforcement strategies, ideally involving online enforcement, investigations, anti-counterfeiting, and escalation to litigation or law enforcement.
Experience with, or strong interest in, digital piracy and technically complex copyright matters.
Strong legal judgment and a pragmatic approach to enforcement, including the ability to prioritize high-impact matters and balance legal risk, enforcement objectives, and commercial considerations.
Ability to work effectively with technical, investigative, and business specialists and translate complex information into practical legal strategies.
Excellent communication and collaboration skills, with the independence and flexibility to work effectively across regions, cultures, and time zones in a global organization.
Strong technical curiosity and an interest in video games and interactive entertainment, with the ability to understand how games, platforms, and related technologies operate and translate that understanding into practical copyright and enforcement advice.

Nice To Haves

Experience involving video games, software, apps, game modifications, circumvention of technological protection measures, or similar digital content issues.
Experience advising on video games, software, digital content, or other technology products, particularly involving game modifications, emulators, piracy, pre-release content protection, or technological protection measures.
Experience with game or content protection programs, including pre-release leak response, game security, DMCA anti-circumvention, or other technically complex copyright enforcement matters.
Experience working with online marketplaces, platforms, intermediaries, or specialist enforcement providers on copyright, trademark, or anti-counterfeiting matters.
Experience with IP enforcement in China, including online or offline anti-counterfeiting, investigations, administrative enforcement, or litigation.
Familiarity with design law and design-right enforcement, including design patents and/or registered designs.
California Bar membership.

Responsibilities

Serve as lead legal counsel for SIE’s Game Protection Program in the Americas, developing strategies to combat piracy, respond to pre-release content leaks, and address unauthorized game modifications affecting PlayStation titles.
Partner with PlayStation Studios and production, security, and release teams to identify content-protection risks and develop proactive strategies throughout game development and release.
Provide practical and strategic copyright advice, particularly concerning the DMCA, notice-and-takedown procedures, counternotices, safe harbors, repeat infringers, fair use, and complex or contested matters.
Advise on technically complex copyright issues involving game modifications, user-created and unauthorized in-game content, emulators and ports, infringing apps and services, unauthorized distribution, and circumvention of technological protection measures.
Help develop practical policies and scalable approaches to evolving copyright issues across PlayStation Studios and platforms.
Work with investigators, technical and security teams, data specialists, outside counsel, and other partners to develop evidence and translate legal and technical intelligence into effective enforcement action.
Support IP enforcement needs for SIE’s hardware and merchandise businesses in the Americas and develop practical strategies to protect PlayStation products and intellectual property.
Help shape SIE’s broader Americas enforcement strategy by using data and intelligence to identify significant infringers, enforcement gaps, and opportunities for targeted action.
Support anti-counterfeiting across online and physical channels, including marketplace enforcement, investigations, cease-and-desist activity, Customs and border enforcement, administrative and criminal actions, and escalation to litigation or law enforcement when appropriate.
Conduct online enforcement across e-commerce marketplaces, social media, websites, apps, and other digital services.
Partner with SIE’s IP Litigation, Brands, and Patent teams on significant enforcement matters, including strategic litigation and design-related enforcement.
Monitor developments in copyright, intermediary liability, anti-counterfeiting, digital enforcement, and relevant technologies, and advise the business on their potential impact.
Develop enforcement policies, playbooks, procedures, and best practices, and provide practical guidance and training to internal stakeholders and external partners.
Use enforcement data and reporting to identify trends, emerging threats, and opportunities to strengthen SIE’s enforcement programs.
Represent SIE, where appropriate, in industry organizations and initiatives relating to copyright, content protection, anti-counterfeiting, and IP enforcement.
Work collaboratively with SIE’s IP Enforcement paralegals in the US and UK, providing legal guidance and supporting their continued development.