Akshay Nelakurti

Akshay Nelakurti has been an associate at Klaris Law since May 2022. He counsels clients across the entertainment industry on production matters, commercial transactions, and intellectual property issues. He works with clients ranging from independent filmmakers and authors to podcast companies and large media and publishing companies.

Prior to joining Klaris Law, Akshay was the legal fellow at the Copyright Alliance, where he supported the organization’s policy initiatives and creator education efforts. Before that, he was a law clerk at Saadeh P.C., a boutique entertainment firm where he worked with independent filmmakers and conducted copyright fair use reviews for films.

Akshay graduated from Georgetown Law in 2021 with a J.D. During that time, he externed with the Public Defender Service of DC, was a student attorney in Georgetown’s Social Enterprise and Nonprofit Law Clinic, and interned at the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. He received his Bachelor’s in Engineering from B.M.S. College of Engineering in his hometown of Bangalore, India.

Passionate about using his legal skills to help creators bring their visions to life, Akshay had his sights set on the entertainment industry early on. He was actively involved with the Georgetown Entertainment and Media Alliance (GEMALaw) throughout his time in law school, serving as Co-President in his 3L year. He also wrote his research paper on the protection of fictional film and TV characters through copyright and trademark law.

Akshay used to teach Zumba in Bangalore and at Georgetown Law. He spends his free time now playing video games, cooking, hiking in and around DC, and listening to the Shang-Chi soundtrack on repeat.

Admissions: California (2022)

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