Role: IP Counsel (Drafting)
Location: IBC Knowledge Park, Bangalore
Reporting to: Chief IP Counsel
Team name: Corporate Legal
About The Team And The Role
The Corporate Legal team at Ather is responsible for implementing the strategic vision addressing the company's current and future intellectual property while partnering with senior leaders to execute strategic directives. This role is for an intellectual property counsel who will be an integral working partner with research and development teams and strategic business units to manage patent portfolios, drafting, prosecution, and enforcement.
Responsibilities
- Implement the organization's IP strategy and manage high-quality patent and design drafting and filing at the Indian Patent Office.
- Manage the full patent lifecycle including handling prosecution activities, responding to FERs, appearing in hearings, and managing maintenance activities like annuities.
- Conduct invention scouting by working with R&D teams to identify and develop potentially protectable inventions and designs.
- Collaborate with associate firms to develop strategies for office actions and perform IP maintenance activities.
- Execute analytics and due diligence projects including Freedom-to-operate, availability searches, landscapes, prior art searches, and whitespace analysis.
- Maintain internal IP docketing tools and trackers while preparing MIS reports and managing dashboards for open-source compliance and patent risk assessment.
- Provide internal IP consultations and clearances for Corporate Legal, Marketing, and R&D teams.
- Coordinate with internal stakeholders and law firms for patent, design, copyright, trademark, or domain name disputes and litigations.
Experience And Qualifications
- Bachelors or Masters degree with specialization in mechanical, automotive, electronics, electrical, or computer engineering from a premium engineering college or university.
- 3 to 6 years of relevant intellectual property experience with broad in-house R&D or IP law firm experience.
- Must be a registered and practicing patent agent with experience in drafting, filing, and prosecution at the Indian Patent Office.
Must Have Competencies
- Technical expertise in patent and design drafting and filing at the Indian Patent Office.
- Execution of patent prosecution activities including FER responses and appearing in hearings.
- Performance of IP searches including Patentability, Freedom to Operate (FTO), and prior art searches.
- Management of patent portfolio risk assessment and implementation of organizational IP strategy.
Good to Have Competencies
- Drafting of international patent applications for PCT, US, and EP jurisdictions.
- Management of internal IP docketing tools, trackers, and MIS reporting systems.
- Coordination of legal disputes involving copyright, trademark, or domain names.
- Execution of patent analytics including landscaping and whitespace analysis projects.
Want to know more
At Ather, we've built India's first intelligent scooter, from scratch. Based on the philosophy of clean design and smart technology, we are transforming the urban commute experience. We are expanding in India, and in the coming years, we look forward to scaling up and launching more products globally. Today, our product offerings include the Ather 450X, 450S, 450 Apex, and Rizta. Beyond the product, we are also setting up an extensive charging network and re-imagining end-to-end ownership experience. To know more, check out our Careers site and our Substack.
Be You, With Us
The Ather story doesn't write itself - our people do. We believe everyone is equal, but not the same. Diversity is our strength, and building an inclusive and equitable workplace begins with acknowledging and embracing our differences. We are an equal opportunity employer, and our team reflects a wide range of identities, experiences, and perspectives - all united by a shared passion to shape the Ather journey.
