Senior Counsel, Intellectual Property

1 Month ago • 8 Years + • $304,000 PA - $342,000 PA

Job Summary

Job Description

As the Senior IP Counsel at Discord, you will be responsible for developing and implementing IP portfolio strategies, including trademarks, copyrights, and patents. You will work with various teams like Engineering, Product, Sales, and Marketing to provide practical IP solutions. Your responsibilities include refining priorities, managing patent programs, and optimizing global trademark enforcement. You will also manage open source programs, create training materials, and streamline resources. The role involves providing clear IP guidance, and you will have a significant impact on the Legal team and the company's development.
Must have:
  • JD from an accredited law school
  • Admission to the California Bar
  • 8+ years of experience in law firms and in-house
  • Expertise in patent strategy and licensing
  • Experience managing trademark prosecution
Good to have:
  • In-house legal experience in tech
  • Familiarity with video and audio technologies
  • Interest in applying AI to IP enforcement
  • Experience with music licensing transactions
Perks:
  • equity
  • benefits

Job Details

Discord is used by over 200 million people every month for many different reasons, but there’s one thing that nearly everyone does on our platform: play video games. Over 90% of our users play games, spending a combined 1.5 billion hours playing thousands of unique titles on Discord each month. Discord plays a uniquely important role in the future of gaming. We are focused on making it easier and more fun for people to talk and hang out before, during, and after playing games.

We are looking for an exceptional Senior Counsel, Intellectual Property to join our growing legal team. This is a high-impact role at one of the most interesting companies on the planet!

As our Senior IP Counsel, you will own and execute on IP portfolio strategy, including refining and adapting our trademark, copyright, and patent prosecution and enforcement strategy in support of the company’s strategy. In doing so, you will help our company expand across the world. You'll get to work with some super inspiring people, including our Engineering, Product, Sales, Marketing, Litigation, and Corp Dev teams. Reporting to our VP & Deputy General Counsel, you will have the opportunity to have a significant impact on how the Legal team and the company evolve.

If this sounds like a fun challenge, please read on... 

What You’ll Be Doing

  • Uplevel our IP program by refining priorities, mitigation strategies, and processes based on emerging products and risks
  • Advise Product, Engineering, Sales and Marketing teams and provide creative, practical IP solutions across trademark, copyright, patent, and trade secret
  • Advance Discord’s patent program with targeted strategies for key technology domains
  • Collaborate with in-house and outside counsel and cross-functional partners on patent licensing, including hands-on drafting and negotiations 
  • Optimize global trademark enforcement and brand protection with Sales and Marketing input
  • Provide clear, flexible IP guidance across Legal workstreams (Litigation, Product, Commercial, Marketing, Corporate) 
  • Manage our in-bound and out-bound open source program with Engineering management
  • Create documentation, processes, and engaging trainings to scale IP education and compliance
  • Streamline resources through effective counsel management, strategic AI use, and cross-industry engagements

What You Should Have

  • JD from an accredited law school
  • Admission to the California Bar or eligible to register as in-house counsel with the California Bar
  • 8+ years combined experience at a well-respected law firm and in-house legal department
  • Strategic mindset that balances proactive protection with pragmatic risk management within resource constraints
  • Proven ability to translate complex IP concepts into concise, actionable advice for engineering teams and cross-functional executive leadership
  • Expertise in patent strategy, prosecution, and licensing negotiations
  • Hands-on experience managing trademark prosecution and global brand enforcement for consumer-facing digital platforms
  • Experience advising on software licensing, open source compliance, and copyright issues
  • Proven ability to develop and mentor legal professionals with various levels of experience
  • Curiosity and ability to jump into less familiar areas and learn while doing

Bonus Points

  • In-house legal department experience with a consumer-oriented tech company
  • Familiarity with video and audio technologies, particularly video codecs
  • Strong interest in effectively applying AI to IP enforcement 
  • Experience reviewing marketing assets and commercial license terms for IP issues 
  • Experience with music licensing transactions
  • Appreciation for absurd and improbable hypotheticals


The US base salary range for this full-time position is $304,000 to $342,000 + equity + benefits. Our salary ranges are determined by role and level. Within the range, individual pay is determined by additional factors, including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training. Please note that the compensation details listed in US role postings reflect the base salary only, and do not include equity, or benefits.

Why Discord? 

Discord plays a uniquely important role in the future of gaming. We're a multiplatform, multigenerational and multiplayer platform that helps people deepen their friendships around games and shared interests. We believe games give us a way to have fun with our favorite people, whether listening to music together or grinding in competitive matches for diamond rank. Join us in our mission! Your future is just a click away!

Please see our Applicant and Candidate Privacy Policy for details regarding Discord’s collection and usage of personal information relating to the application and recruitment process by clicking HERE.

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About The Company

Discord is a voice, video and text platform that helps friends come together to hang out, play games and have fun. When Jason Citron and Stanislav Vishnevskiy founded Discord in 2015 they had a hunch that multiplayer gaming would be the future of entertainment and that people would need a communications platform designed for them to talk with their gaming friends. Today, gaming has become the largest form of entertainment in the world, bigger than movies and music combined. It’s the fastest-growing as well. Discord makes it feel like you’re playing in the same room with friends.

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