Intellectual Property Paralegal / Administrator

Mô tả công việc

Harbor Freight Tools is seeking a Intellectual Property Paralegal / Administrator to join our corporate office in Calabasas, CA.Paralegal/Administrator will help manage and oversee the company's IP portfolio and will assist with IP protection, licensing, and litigation matters.  The IP Paralegal/Administrator will serve as the liaison between in-house/outside counsel and various company functions and business units and will have primary responsibility for maintaining the IP portfolio.  This role will require a high level of initiative and the ability to work independently, to take ownership of the role, and to use good judgment and discretion to address issues without supervision.  Harbor Freight Tools is different. We're not your typical retailer. We're actually a retailer and branded tool producer rolled into one. We're a team of high-achievers, who have a passion for excellence and continuous improvement and obsess about getting things done. We're also equally committed to doing the right thing and giving back to our community. We're allergic to bureaucracy, extra layers of management and politics. And for us, collaboration is the golden rule. We're a 35 year-old, $2.5 billion company - on pace to $7.5 billion in the next few years - with the energy and enthusiasm of a start-up. We have over 500 stores nationwide and are opening a new one every week. If you're a leader with your ego in check, if you know what it means to be an open-minded partner, if you aren't afraid to get into the weeds to learn the Harbor Freight way and join our history making enterprise, then we'd love to talk to you.Essential Duties and ResponsibilitiesPatent and Trademark ProsecutionAssist in-house and outside counsel with the preparation, filing, and prosecution of patent and trademark filings.Work closely with counsel and business functions to prepare and gather necessary data, responses, and documents.Secure signatures on various documents (POA, assignments, declarations, affidavits, etc.).Track and manage progress on filings and prosecution; communicate with USPTO and foreign equivalents, as necessary.Patent and Trademark Portfolio ManagementMaintain files/records, and databases for registrations and filings; work with outside counsel to update files/records and databases. (Position does not currently involve sophisticated docketing).Monitor deadlines for renewals, affidavits, maintenance/annuity payments, etc.Prepare IP portfolio reports and summaries.IP ProtectionMonitor, review/assess, and track invention disclosures, improvements/modifications, and trademark/trade dress usage to identify potential new IP and protections.Conduct standard searches of patent and trademark registrations, prior art, and related research.Provide training and guidance to business regarding IP protection and questions, including trademark usage, markings, invention disclosures, licensing, confidentiality, etc.IP Infringement ClaimsCoordinate with in-house/outside counsel and business units on providing data, research, answers, and responses related to third-party infringement claims.Assist with issuance of litigation hold notices and coordination of e-discovery.Draft cease-and-desist letters and assist with investigations of infringement by third parties.LicensingAssist with drafting and negotiating license agreements to license-in third-party IP and technology and to license-out company IP and technology.Track lifecycle of and compliance with license agreements. Manage submissions of any required royalty payments and reports.Additional ResponsibilitiesMaintain legal IP budget and expense; manage outside counsel billings and resolve invoice issues.Help establish IP policies, procedures, and standard operating practices.Support IP-related due diligence in commercial transactions.Copyright filings (if any).Other job duties as assigned.ScopeSupervises staff - NoTravel - N/A