Senior Legal Counsel (IP and Marketing)

• Booking.com’s Senior Legal Counsel, IP and Marketing is a commercially embedded, IP-first legal adviser to Marketing and the wider business
• The role covers trademark, copyright, content, brand protection and related IP, with additional responsibility for triaging Growth Marketing, Performance Marketing, AI-enabled content and emerging technology matters
• The role will lead Booking.com’s approach to IP and innovation, coordinate specialist support where needed, and develop practical playbooks that enable lower-risk matters to be managed efficiently
• You will directly support a dynamic organisation of marketing, security and operations specialists to provide on-the-ground support and identify potential legal issues
• This opportunity represents an exceptional chance to embed yourself with one of the world’s most exciting ecommerce organisations, and help define the future of travel
• Develop, implement and oversee trademark clearance and registration including portfolio management, review of trademark watch notices, file/defend against opposition/cancellation actions for all legal entities and sub-brands of the company globally
• Develop, implement and oversee the company’s brand protection strategy including the appointment and management of the lead agency tasked with online monitoring of (infringements of) the company’s brands, draft cease and desist communications etc
• Support legal aspects of the company’s domain name portfolio
• Analyse and resolve (third party) trademark and copyright claims/litigations
• Manage cooperation with external IP counsel and IP service providers
• Implement processes and strategies to drive efficiency and consistency in the company’s trademark and copyright practice in close cooperation with internal clients such as the Marketing, Security, Risk and Tax teams
• Counsel business stakeholders on IP issues in consumer, partner and vendor contracts and (new) products
• Ensure an accurate reflection of the current status of the associated IP portfolios and litigation matters by maintaining (or overseeing the maintenance of) a database
• Collaborate with and support other subject matter experts within the Marketing Legal team and divide tasks as required and appropriate, with the purpose of enabling all team members to broaden their impact in their roles while preserving the highest quality advice for the company
• Advise on copyright and content licensing; image, video, music, voice and talent rights; AI-generated and AI-assisted content; trade mark use, bidding and enforcement; brand impersonation and spoofing; agency and media agreements; and data use, targeting and attribution
• Act as the first legal point of contact for content and marketing IP issues and manage contentious IP and litigation
• Advise Marketing teams on campaign strategy, paid search, media buying, attribution and platform relationships
• Develop practical playbooks, decision trees, risk tiers and self-service guidance for common Marketing and IP issues, reducing reliance on bespoke legal review
• Coordinate legal support on AI-related patent issues, including monitoring relevant developments, assessing third-party AI patents, advising on Booking.com’s AI-related innovations, and determining when patent protection or specialist patent counsel is appropriate
• Work with Cybersecurity, Fraud, Trust & Safety and Communications on brand impersonation, spoofing, phishing, fake domains, account misuse, AI-enabled scams, content takedowns, incident response and evidence preservation
• Plug gaps across Marketing by coordinating with the relevant risk teams and supporting risk decisions where appropriate

Benefits

• Health insurance
• Free access to Headspace for you and your loved ones
• Global Employee Assistance Program
• Meditation and Breastfeeding rooms at the office
• Booking Cares - 2 days per year to volunteer and learn
• Life insurance
• Disability insurance
• Pension plan
• Annual paid time off
• Parental leave - 22 weeks
• Grandparent leave - 10 days
• Care leave - 10 days
• Bereavement leave - up to 4 weeks
• Anniversary leave
• Working from Home Furniture and Ergonomic Support
• Working from Abroad - up to 20 days per year
• Discounts & Wallet credits to spend on our products
• Upgrade to Booking.com Genius Level 3
• Friends & Family Booking.com discount vouchers
• Free access to online learning platforms
• Development and mentorship programs to support career growth
• Access to trainings and workshops
• Team development opportunities
• Local discount programs
• Game rooms in offices
• On-site meals, coffee and snacks including vegan options- The role requires an IP specialist, preferably with global experience in specific relevant areas such as trademark and copyright law, who is capable of drawing on technical specialist support on multiple fronts, while acting as principal point of contact for your business clients
• Experience advising on intellectual property and marketing, including digital content, advertising platforms, AI-enabled content and emerging technology
• Excellent drafting skills,, communication both oral and written, and organisational skills
• Law degree from a top law school, and excellent academic credentials
• Comfortable navigating complicated and nuanced issues
• Proven ability to turn complex legal issues into practical playbooks, decision trees, risk tiers and self-service guidance, and to act as a senior partner to Marketing, Product, Data, Privacy, Cybersecurity, Corporate Development and executive stakeholders with strong judgement on escalation and prioritisation
• Great interpersonal skills and ability to work well in a fast-paced team environment
• 5 - 8 years practising law, either in-house or in private practice
• High degree of business acumen
• Creative thinker with strong problem-solving skills and the ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment, handle multiple assignments simultaneously and effectively manage conflicting priorities
• Eagerness to learn new technologies and ideas
• Ability to provide legal guidance on IP issues involving trademark and copyright (registration/enforcement), proactively identify associated risks and recommend mitigation strategies, document guidance for consumption by attorneys and non-attorneys, and help improve processes for review
• Ability to tolerate change and ambiguity in the law
• Ability to identify cyber-related legal risk early and coordinate an appropriate specialist response across Cybersecurity, Fraud, Trust & Safety and Communications
• Experience negotiating or supporting technology, agency, media, content, talent, influencer and platform agreements, including rights ownership, licensing, data use, training restrictions, indemnities, liability, audit, monitoring, suspension, exit and post-launch governance
• Demonstrated ability to advise on AI-generated and AI-assisted content, model and platform terms, training data, output ownership, digital replicas, provenance, deepfakes and AI-related patent strategy, with sound judgement on when specialist IP support is required
• Demonstrated experience managing/structuring international IP portfolios involving a wide range of (internal/external) stakeholders, cultures and working styles
• Alignment with Booking.com’s values (Customer First, Succeed Together, Own It, Learn Forever, Do the Right Thing)
• Curiosity, flexibility, and a creative, pragmatic approach to problem-solving
• Confidence with collaboration
• Proactivity, resilience, and a drive to deliver results
• Ability to influence stakeholders at all levels
• Strong judgment with attention to both the big picture and key details
• Team-oriented, self-aware, and a good listener
• Courage to take a stance and make tough decisions
• Agility in prioritizing and meeting deadlines
• Forward-thinking, with a focus on emerging legal and policy issues