Intellectual Property and Legal Specialist (Remote)

About SANS

SANS Institute (SANS) was established in 1989 as a cooperative research and education organization. In the next 25 years it grew to become the most trusted and, by far, the largest source for information security training and security certification in the world reaching more than 300,000 security professionals around the world today, with around 60,000 having been granted Global Information Assurance Certification (GIAC) security certifications – the leading certification that provides assurance to employers that their people and prospective hires can actually do the job.  At the heart of SANS are the many security practitioners – from auditors and network administrators to chief information security officers, all sharing the lessons they learn and jointly finding solutions to the challenges they face – in varied global organizations from corporations to universities working together to help the entire information security community.

Join the SANS Team

At SANS, our culture is defined by Mission, Brand, People. Our goal is to hire people who understand the importance of continuing to fight against the cyber security threats (Mission) while delivering the highest quality training (Brand) to our students.  We want employees whose personal values align well with our culture of fairness, honesty, customer focus, and pragmatic approach (People).

Summary of Position

We are seeking an Intellectual Property Specialist to join our team within the Legal business unit. The Intellectual Property Specialist will be responsible for assisting the Intellectual Property Director and in-house counsel in ensuring the cradle to grave management and protection of SANS intellectual property.  The successful candidate will be responsible for managing intellectual property registration, investigations and enforcement programs and will support internal business units to facilitate the company’s intellectual property needs. The Intellectual Property Specialist will also assist the Intellectual Property Director and in-house counsel with other legal duties as necessary, including legal research, writing and filings.

Key Responsibilities

• Serves as the point of contact for internal customers for intellectual property registration and enforcement activities and triages matters to the IP Director as necessary
• Manages the intellectual property docket for all SANS entities
• Files copyrights with the U.S. Copyright Office and trademarks with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and assist with filings in other jurisdictions outside the United States
• Prepares intellectual property license and transfer agreements and assists with intellectual property transfers paperwork to be filed with government agencies
• Works with SANS support staff to identify, track, and respond to intellectual property fraud attempts
• Monitors a variety of platforms for material that infringes on SANS intellectual property rights
• Sends Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) notices and other cease and desist notices for intellectual property infringement and other misconduct
• Conducts legal research using a variety of resources
• Conducts basic open-source intelligence research on infringing people and companies
• Drafts and reviews various IP-related documents to ensure compliance with company standards
• Assists with corporate legal matters, including maintaining and filing of corporate records, reviewing incoming subpoenas and other legal requests from third parties, and drafting of legal documents and correspondence
• Other duties as assigned
  

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent experience
• 1 year experience working in a cross-cultural setting
• 1 year experience working in a corporate administrative setting in a business support role
• Knowledge of U.S. copyright and trademark rules
• Experience using major Internet search engines
  
• Familiarity with major social media platforms
• Legal research and writing
• Prioritization and time management skills
• Microsoft Office proficiency
  
• Customer service skills
• Attention to detail and accuracy

Preferred Qualifications

• Cybersecurity, intellectual property or legal certification
• Experience filing DMCA take down notices, cease and desist notices and other legal filings
• Experience with intellectual property infringement investigations
  
• Management of an intellectual property or other legal docket
• Experience working in a company’s intellectual property division or legal division

Reporting Relationships

• This position reports to the Director of Legal and Business Affairs and will work closely with the Intellectual Property Director.
  

Work Environment

• Remote work with the expectation to travel 1-2x/year for in person team meetings.

Equal Opportunity Employer

SANS is an Equal Opportunity Employer, and does not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, color, sex, age, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, status as a veteran, and basis of disability or any other federal, state, or local protected class. If, because of a medical condition or disability, you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application process, or to perform the essential functions of a position, please contact SANS Human Resources.

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