Intellectual Property and software licensing counsel

About the opportunity: 

We are seeking an IP and software licensing counsel who will be responsible for leading the Legal Department’s support of Nethermind’s software developers with licensing issues.

Objectives:

• Reviewing and negotiating the intellectual property licences Nethermind either (a) puts in place; or (b) is subject to, to achieve its strategic objectives.

• Developing a comprehensive framework for controlling Nethermind’s legal rights and liabilities in relation to IP licences.

• Ensuring that the commercial terms on which Nethermind offers its products and services suite are coherent with Nethermind’s approach to licensing issues.

Responsibilities:

• Day to day review and negotiation of IP licenses across the entirety of public domain, permissive, LGPL, copyleft and proprietary licences

• Taking such action as is necessary to protect Nethermind’s rights in relation to its portfolio of software IP, and to maximise the value of Nethermind’s IP generally

• Providing key internal and external stakeholders with advice on licensing issues

• Owning Nethermind’s relationships with relevant external providers such as law firms, patent and trademark attorneys, registries, alliances etc. Managing budgets in relation to each

• Rigorous evaluation of trends to reduce legal risks associated with licensing decisions

• Advising on market changes and providing strategic recommendations, writing and maintaining relevant policies

• Constantly suggesting ideas for process improvement and optimization

• To the extent time is available, working with the rest of the Nethermind Legal team (four people) on other non-IP related projects, such as commercial transactions, investments and other inhouse legal team matters

• Reporting to Chief Legal Officer

Skills:

• Bachelor’s degree in law or any related field with 2 years of post qualification experience

• Background at prestigious law firm

• Knowledge and experience of all market standard licences

• Knowledge of key patent and trademark registries

• Strong numerical skills, to help gain credibility with Nethermind’s coders and other staff

• Ability to collaborate with all levels of management to organize, plan and achieve Nethermind’s IP goals

• Happy using Slack, Notion, Excel etc.

Would be beneficial if you have:

• Experience in blockchain (especially Ethereum) or crypto industry

• Familiarity with issues arising from the use of AI

• Experience in Fintech

• Previous experience with inhouse accounting in a scale up environment

• Fully remote setting work experience