Lecturer Bios
Edward H. Rosenthal, Esq.
Edward H. Rosenthal chairs the firm’s Intellectual Property and Litigation Groups. He focuses on intellectual property litigation, emphasizing trademark, copyright, right of publicity, advertising, privacy and publishing matters. His clients include businesses and individuals in the media, advertising, sports, and entertainment fields.
Mr. Rosenthal also has substantial involvement in issues relating to trademark prosecution and enforcement, representing numerous businesses and individuals in protecting and enforcing their intellectual property. He also represents the estates of deceased celebrities, including Humphrey Bogart, and handles licensing work for the estate and other celebrities and companies.
Mr. Rosenthal is currently representing The Authors Guild and a number of other authors' rights associations and individuals in a suit against the HathiTrust arising out of its mass book digitization and orphan works programs. Recently, he defended Fredrik Colting, author of 60 Years Later: Coming Through the Rye, and his U.S. distributor, in a lawsuit brought by J.D. Salinger alleging copyright infringement. Mr. Rosenthal also successfully defended J.K. Rowling and Scholastic Inc., the author and publisher of the Harry Potter books, against claims of copyright and trademark infringement.
Mr. Rosenthal has written and lectured extensively on a wide variety of intellectual property topics. He is a regular presenter to the Practicing Law Institute on the Right of Publicity, and has participated in numerous panels on trademark and copyright law. He was co-editor of Entertainment Law Matters, a blog focused on disputes and developments in the film, television, publishing, theatre, music, art, gaming, and fashion industries. Mr. Rosenthal has also been active in the Copyright Society of the U.S.A. and the International Trademark Association. He serves as co-chair of the Committee on Publicity, Privacy and Media of the New York State Bar Association’s Entertainment and Sports Law Committee and as a member of the Copyright Committee of the New York City Bar.
Prior to joining Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz, Mr. Rosenthal served as a law clerk to Hon. Abraham D. Sofaer in the Southern District of New York and was associated with the New York law firm of Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel. He was Adjunct Professor at Fordham Law School (Legal Writing, 1985-1986; Intellectual Property Drafting, 1996).
Elayna Pham, Esq.
Elayna Pham is the Managing Attorney, Trademark for Axiom, a new model law firm which is the first real alternative to traditional law firm practice. With offices in 9 cities in the U.S. and around the world, Axiom has become a true leader in legal service innovation. Elayna partners with chief legal counsel of Fortune 100 companies on the protection and enforcement of their companies’ intellectual property assets. Prior to joining Axiom, Elayna spent nearly a decade at two of the largest U.S. based law firms where she practiced intellectual property law. In her spare time, Elayna frequently lectures and does pro bono work.
David Aker, Esq.
David Aker received his J.D. after working in several engineering and technical positions. Professor Aker has since practiced intellectual property law with private firms and in corporate legal departments. He was an Intellectual Property Law Attorney with the Research Division of IBM and was Chief Patent Counsel, Analytical Instruments Division, of the company that was formerly The Perkin-Elmer Corporation in Norwalk, CT., a leading manufacturer of analytical instruments and life science systems. Professor Aker has his own practice in Hartsdale, New York, where he deals with all aspects of intellectual property, on a worldwide basis, for Fortune 500 companies, start up companies and individuals. He has taught Patent Law and related courses at the Law Center since 1983. In 1998, Professor Aker received Touro Law Center’s first annual Adjunct Professor of the Year award for dedicated and distinguished services to students. Since 2006, he has been on the faculty of the Practicing Law Institute's live Patent Bar Review Course, when it is offered in New York.