Senior Corporate Counsel, Patents

Why Play Station?

Play Station isn’t just the Best Place to Play — it’s also the Best Place to Work. Today, we’re recognized as a global leader in entertainment producing The Play Station family of products and services including Play Station®5, Play Station®4, Play Station®VR, Play Station®Plus, acclaimed Play Station software titles from Play Station Studios, and more.

Play Station also strives to create an inclusive environment that empowers employees and embraces diversity. We welcome and encourage everyone who has a passion and curiosity for innovation, technology, and play to explore our open positions and join our growing global team.

The Play Station brand falls under Sony Interactive Entertainment, a wholly‑owned subsidiary of Sony Group Corporation.

San Mateo, CA (hybrid) - will require coming into our offices 2x a week

Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) is seeking an experienced patent attorney to join our patent team in San Mateo, California. As Senior Corporate Counsel, you will work with a variety of business and legal teams to support patent matters across the full scope of Play Station products and services. The person taking this position will join a dynamic team of patent professionals responsible for patent portfolio development, licensing, and enforcement activities for SIE.

The Senior Corporate Counsel will be the primary counsel responsible for patent matters associated with several global business units, reporting to the Senior Director, Patents.

• Contribute to the development of SIE’s global patent portfolio across a given set of product and technology areas of responsibility, including invention intake, review, and strategic portfolio assessment and management
• Oversee and provide strategic guidance in the management of patent preparation and prosecution work performed by outside counsel
• Contribute to SIE’s efforts to grow its patent portfolio through workshops and other innovation sourcing activities
• Support the Senior Director of Patents in advising SIE leadership on strategic patent‑related issues as needed
• Lead support and training for legal and business teams on patent‑related issues
• Analyze technical trends and developments in SIE's industry and apply this analysis to the strategic direction of SIE’s patent portfolio
• Coordinate and collaborate with Sony Group Corporation's IP department as needed
• Partner with team members at all levels of the global organization and develop positive and collaborative relationships with engineering, product management and legal teams to support the patent program
• Support the global patent team in refining, developing and improving SIE’s patent processes

• Law degree from an accredited U.S. law school and registered USPTO Patent Attorney
• Admission to a U.S. state bar, California State Bar membership preferred; at a minimum, the candidate must be qualified for and quickly able to obtain Registered In‑House Counsel status in California and be willing to maintain that status during employment
• Degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering or related field
• At least 12 years of patent law post‑qualified experience
• At least 3 years in‑house legal department experience managing a large international patent portfolio for a global company
• Experience providing practical advice on a wide variety of legal issues in a fast‑paced environment
• Experience drafting and negotiating Intellectual Property agreements with an emphasis on patents
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• A dedication to client service and attention to detail
• Strong presentation skills and the ability to educate others about Intellectual Property in engaging and impactful ways
• At least 2 years patent prosecution experience in a law firm setting
• Fluent in written and spoken Japanese, would be a plus!

Play Station offers a global hybrid office/remote working model — Flex Modes — which aims to combine the flexibility of remote working with the magic of in‑person collaboration. The model is built upon the principle of working together in‑person as work requires, with the freedom to work remotely otherwise.

Please…