Intellectual Property Paralegal - Charlotte, United States - Husqvarna Aktiebolag

Description

The IP (Intellectual Property) department includes patent and trademark counsels, paralegals, and other IP professionals located at R&D sites in the US, Sweden, and Germany.

This Paralegal position is generally responsible for proactively providing advice and support to the patent counsels within the IP department.

The paralegal will work with the patent counsels to identify and protect patentable and commercially valuable inventions, identify and mitigate patent infringement risk, and monetize the Group's patent rights through enforcement and licensing.

• Independently communicate with IP department colleagues, outside law firms and vendors, and internal clients (e.g., engineers, inventors, managers, etc.) around the world regarding patent and design filing and prosecution
• Support the IP department in projects to improve IP processes and systems, and continually seek ways to improve these processes and systems
• Manage the unsolicited (external) ideas program, including monitoring inbox for new submissions, creating cases and assigning them to responsible patent counsels, communicating with counsels and inventors regarding submissions, and fielding questions from the IP team and business relating to the unsolicited ideas process
• Harvest invention reports from R&D, process them in accordance with internal policies, and independently authorize outside vendors and/or law firms to conduct novelty and/or clearance investigations on same
• Manage the U.S. Information Disclosure Statement (IDS) compliance process for the entire IP department, including using independent legal judgment to determine which references must be cited in an IDS, preparing and filing IDS documents using the electronic filing system (EFS) of the United States Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO), and independently communicating with IP department colleagues and outside law firms regarding same
• Perform docketing, data entry, and data retrieval using IP department docketing systems and databases
• Create purchase orders and manage invoices in Husqvarna's financial system, Coupa
• Independently execute inventor recognition and/or remuneration processes
• Electronically file IP-related documents (e.g., patent applications, assignments, declarations, etc.) with the USPTO and other patent and trademark offices around the world and manage the deposit accounts associated with said offices
• Promote IP within the Group and participate in internal training programs

• Associate or higher degree
• Paralegal certification
• Previous patent paralegal experience in a law firm or corporate law department
• Demonstrated knowledge of the USPTO and PCT rules and procedures, and ability to navigate and use the USPTO and World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) websites (e.g., EFS, deposit accounts)
• Demonstrated knowledge of IP-related processes, e.g., IDS filing, inventor recognition / remuneration, unsolicited (external) ideas, invention reports / patent application filings
• Previous experience working within IP management systems (e.g., PATRICIA, Innography, Equinox)
• Excellent written and oral communication skills, client relationship skills, and ability to professionally interact with engineers, lawyers, and executives at all levels, both inside and outside the organization
• Demonstrated ability to be flexible and adaptive to internal processes and change, delays, or unexpected events
• Professional and confident demeanor, including respect for other cultures and interest in regularly working with people in other parts of the world
• Willingness to travel 1-2 weeks per year to US or foreign sites as required
• Notary Public certification is preferred
• Previous international experience is preferred