Director, Legal

San Mateo, CA

Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE or PlayStation) seeks a business-minded attorney who is well-versed in intellectual property, particularly in video games or other entertainment media, to work directly with our publisher relations team on matters relating to the development, publication and marketing of third party games for the PlayStation console and services. This position in the SIE legal team also supports PlayStation’s developer technology support team as well as its global competitive gaming team. As the lead counsel for our Global Third-Party Relations, Global Technology Group and Global Competitive Gaming Groups, you will work collaboratively with other attorneys, legal professionals, clients, and a variety of teams across our global business.

PlayStation offers the opportunity to work on cutting-edge legal issues in a technology company with an entertainment focus. Come join our team to help build world-class video gaming experiences that delight players and make PlayStation the best place to play.

Responsibilities:

Build positive relationships with clients and other internal collaborators by providing legal support for their engagements with premier third party publishers and game development studios
Lead the team responsible for providing legal support to the SIE’s Global Third-Party Relations, Global Technology Group and Global Competitive Gaming groups
Build positive relationships with your team members
Draft and negotiate a variety of commercial contracts with external partners, including PlayStation platform license agreements, development and publishing agreements, co-marketing agreements, software licenses, content licenses, and vendor services agreements
Structure and draft template agreements, including complex click through agreements
Coordinate with the developer support team on implementation of relevant click through agreements
Provide ongoing support for SIE’s content acquisition teams for PlayStation Plus
Provide ongoing support for SIE’s global technology partners group, including middleware agreements and technology integration agreements
Provide ongoing support for SIE’s global competitive gaming group, including support for e-sports tournaments, as well as the SIE subsidiaries responsible for e-sports events and technologies
Provide ongoing support for SIE’s partner marketing teams, including clearance of third party advertising featuring PlayStation branding
Balance legal risks with business strategy to provide clear and practical legal advice to clients with a focus on empowering the business
Collaborate with other subject matter authorities within the legal department to provide holistic solutions to the business
Design and provide legal trainings, policies, and guidelines for business clients and the global legal team
Build and maintain a proven understanding of the video game industry, PlayStation’s portfolio of products and services, and relevant law, by attending industry events and legal trainings

Qualifications:

15+ years of experience as an attorney, with at least 3-4 years working in-house in a game, technology, or entertainment company, preferably focused on content licensing.
JD or LLM degree from accredited law school; admitted to a US state bar, California State Bar membership is preferred (at a minimum, the candidate must be qualified for and quickly obtain Registered In-House Counsel status in California and have the willingness to maintain that status during employment)
Expertise in intellectual property law, including copyrights, trademarks, contract drafting and negotiations
Expertise in e-sports is desirable
Experience working with high level executives within a large organization
Passion for video games, entertainment, and technology
Proven ability to think strategically, work independently and collaboratively, and lead complex negotiations
Comfortable with a fast-paced environment, using organizational skills to manage multiple projects at a time
Outstanding interpersonal and communication skills, with business-friendly mentality, and a desire to work closely with clients and external partners
Knowledge of the video game industry, its major players, virtual currency and other video game economy issues, open source software licensing, and privacy and data security law is desirable

Equal Opportunity Statement:

Sony is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All persons will receive consideration for employment without regard to gender (including gender identity, gender expression and gender reassignment), race (including colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin), religion or belief, marital or civil partnership status, disability, age, sexual orientation, pregnancy or maternity, trade union membership or membership in any other legally protected category.

We strive to create an inclusive environment, empower employees and embrace diversity. We encourage everyone to respond.

PlayStation is a Fair Chance employer and qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records will be considered for employment.