IP & Product Counsel

Location: Bengaluru

Organizations everywhere struggle under the crushing costs and complexities of 'solutions' that promise to simplify their lives. To create a better experience for their customers and employees. To help them grow. Software is a choice that can make or break a business. Create better or worse experiences. Propel or throttle growth. Business software has become a blocker instead of ways to get work done.

There's another option. Freshworks. With a fresh vision for how the world works.

At Freshworks, we build uncomplicated service software that delivers exceptional customer and employee experiences. Our enterprise-grade solutions are powerful, yet easy to use, and quick to deliver results. Our people-first approach to AI eliminates friction, making employees more effective and organizations more productive. Over 72,000 companies, including Bridgestone, New Balance, Nucor, S&P Global, and Sony Music, trust Freshworks' customer experience (CX) and employee experience (EX) software to fuel customer loyalty and service efficiency.

And, over 4,500 Freshworks employees make this possible, all around the world.

Fresh vision. Real impact. Come build it with us.

Job Description

Overview

Freshworks is seeking a hands-on, sharp, and experienced IP & Product Counsel to join our legal team to provide practical and strategic legal advice on intellectual property, product development, commercialization, open-source compliance, data privacy, and regulatory matters. You will work closely with Product, Engineering, Marketing, and Commercial teams to protect and advance Freshworks innovation agenda while enabling business growth. We seek a thoughtful, creative, and collaborative individual who thrives in a fast-paced, dynamic, and intellectually challenging work environment.

Key Responsibilities

Intellectual Property Management

Patent Strategy & Portfolio Management:  Work closely with Product and Engineering teams to identify, capture, and strategize patentable innovations. Conduct brainstorming sessions to identify IP arising from product roadmaps and new features.
Patent Prosecution:  Serve as the primary liaison between external patent counsel and internal technical experts. Draft, review, and coordinate patent applications and claims with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (prior USPTO experience required). Maintain invention disclosure policies and procedures.
Patent Review Board:  Act as a key member of Freshworks' Patent Review Committee, evaluating invention disclosures and making strategic decisions on patent filings.
Trademark Management:  Prepare, file, and manage trademark applications globally. Conduct trademark clearance searches, monitor registrations, and manage enforcement actions including cease-and-desist letters, takedown notices, and cybersquatting matters.  Must have experience with United States trademark process and Madrid protocol for international trademark registration.
Brand Counsel:  Advise Marketing and Product teams on branding strategies, trademark implications of new product names, and brand protection initiatives.
IP Litigation Support:  Assist internal and external counsel with patent and trademark litigation, claims review, oppositions, and dispute resolution matters.
Open Source & Software Compliance

Open Source Compliance:  Advise Engineering teams on open-source software (OSS) license compliance, including GPL, MIT, Apache, and other licenses. Support operationalization of OSS compliance processes and tooling.
Copyright & DMCA:  Handle inbound DMCA notices, copyright infringement claims, and takedown processes.
Product Counselling & Commercialization

Product Development Advice:  Provide legal guidance throughout the product lifecycle from ideation to launch on IP ownership, licensing, regulatory compliance, and risk mitigation.
Product Launch Support:  Partner with the Senior Product Counsel in conducting legal due diligence for new product launches and features. Develop and maintain product release checklists, playbooks, and scalable legal processes.
Commercial Agreements:  Support the commercial legal team in drafting and updating IP related provisions in contract templates, customer agreements, and playbooks (e.g., licensing terms, IP ownership, indemnities, warranties).
Third-Party Integrations & Partnerships:  Support the commercial legal team in drafting, reviewing, and negotiating agreements related to product development, integrations, developer tools, APIs, third-party software, and technology.
Privacy, Data Security & Regulatory Compliance

Privacy & Data Protection:  Advise on privacy and data security matters, including compliance with GDPR, CCPA, DORA and other global data protection regulations. Collaborate with Privacy and Security teams on product features involving data collection, processing, and storage.
Legal Updates on IP & AI:  Monitor legal and regulatory developments affecting IP, product development, open source, SaaS, AI and technology sectors. Provide timely updates and…