Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail Ltd. Hiring for Assistant Manager – IPR at Karnataka, India Full Time

Job Context

The role extends to pan India. MFL owns trademarks, copyrights and domain names across various classes in private labels across various categories of products. Process of registration of new trademarks/copyrights is a long process that requires lot of precautionary steps and diligent actions during the process of registration. Even post registration, the registered IPRS are subject to challenge/oppositions by various third parties before the registration authorities. Sale of counterfeit is yet another challenge which could affect our brand.

Challenges Include

• 1. Management, protect and Maintenance of Intellectual property and protection including drafting and submitting trademark applications till registration.
• 2. Research new trademarks and advise on availability by carrying out national and international searches to see if the proposed trade mark is already in use.
• 3. Monitor existing and proposed trademarks deadlines, attend to renewal and amendments deadlines and make sure they are met in good time
• 4. Intellectual property (IP) infringements actions both online and offline, drafting of C&D notice, response to C&D, negotiate in trademark disputes and take actions in infringements, verify the sample in R&D departments.
• 5. Audit of existing IPRs
• 6. Review, Drafting and Negotiation of commercial contracts that involve IPRs
• 7. Provide legal support in terms of due diligence and legal documentation to licensing of IPRs to and from third parties
• 8. Provide legal support to team members in terms of review of draft and filing of opposition proceedings and execution of the same.
• 9. Maintain online data base of all IPRs of MFL business and track important milestones (renewal, expiry, third party challenges, etc) in IPR portal.
• Develop working relationships with relevant brand managers and customers of departments

Key Result Areas

Supporting Actions

Advisory service to cross functional teams

Brands

• Advice Brands on practical and legal feasibility of registration of new IPRs
• Support Brands in registration of new IPRs
• Advice Brands on licensing of own brands and third-party brands
• Advice and support on association with third party brands
• Initiate legal action against the counterfeiters/infringers – online

F & Com

• Work closely in connection with mapping of IPR expenses Outsource versus In-house
• Work closely in settlement of Lawyers invoices

Products and Sourcing

• Audit of FOB/job work vendors
• Work closely with Products in identification of potential IPRs in our products and processes
• Advise and update the Products team on relevant IPRs used by competition

External Agency/Lawyers

• Conducting of raids/legal actions against the infringers
• Manage data of online Pre and post raid surveillance

Services to internal customers

• Conduct training programs for creating awareness about IPRs
• Weekly IPR Raid dash board preparation
• Maintenance of data base of IPRs

Processes

• SOPs for creation and maintenance of IPRs
• Automation of processes

People

• Update oneself on latest laws and rulings related to IPRs