IP/Product Counsel

Chainguard

11h • $200,000 - $225,000 • Remote

About The Position

Chainguard is seeking its first IP/Product Counsel to safeguard, monetize, and scale the company's innovations. This role operates at the nexus of intellectual property and product development, addressing daily legal matters related to open source licensing, product launches, and IP protection. The position offers significant growth potential, with the expectation that the individual will establish scalable processes and develop the function over time. The ideal candidate will possess a strong background in IP law, with particular expertise in open source licensing, trademark, and copyright. Experience in patent law and technology transactions is considered a plus. Additionally, experience collaborating with product teams, including drafting product terms, reviewing terms of service, and advising on privacy, licensing, and IP implications of new products, is highly valued. The role requires comfort in both proactive IP protection and reactive enforcement, with a required fluency in open source licensing, including various standard and non-standard licenses.

Requirements

• 5+ years of legal experience with a strong foundation in IP law, including trademark and copyright
• Strong knowledge of open source licensing is highly valued
• Comfort working both proactively to build and protect the company's IP and reactively when enforcement is required
• Fluency in open source licensing is required, including knowledge of standard permissive and copyleft licenses (e.g., MIT, Apache 2.0, BSD, GPL, LGPL, MPL) and non-standard (e.g. dual license)

Nice To Haves

• Patent experience is a plus
• Experience advising on product launches, product roadmaps, product terms, or terms of service is a plus, but not required
• Strong IP experience can outweigh lighter product counsel experience

Responsibilities

• Own and grow Chainguard's international IP portfolio
• Lead IP enforcement efforts, including cease-and-desist actions involving customers or competitors who violate our licensing terms
• Serve as a go-to legal resource for open source licensing questions from engineering
• Advise product teams on licensing, IP, and terms of service considerations across multiple concurrent product and feature launches
• Draft and review product terms and terms of service for new launches
• Advise on licensing considerations in partner and joint development agreements
• Partner with product and engineering teams early in the development process to identify and address legal considerations before launch
• Build scalable IP processes, templates, and resources as the function grows

Benefits

• Flexible & Remote-First Culture: Work remotely with team meetup opportunities, bi-annual destination summits, and a monthly stipend for coworking spaces, phone and internet costs.
• Receive stock options upon hire and promotion. Plus, you can participate in secondary offerings and have 10 years to exercise your options
• 100% Covered Health Insurance: We cover 100% of your health, vision and dental insurance premiums for you and your dependents. Nothing comes out of your paycheck.
• Flexible Time Off: Take the time you need – to do our best work, we need to recharge and reset.
• 18 Weeks Paid Parental Leave: We offer 18 weeks for birthing parents and 12 weeks for non-birthing parents, with the option to use it all at once or throughout your child's first year.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: No Education Listed