Employee Profile

Monica Viken

Professor

Department of Law and Governance

Phone +4746410444
E-mail monica.viken@bi.no

Biography

Monica Viken is professor of law and associate dean for the bachelor- and master program inlaw at BI.

She received her Ph.D. in law from Copenhagen Business School in 2011, with a dissertation on the evidential value of market surveys in trademark and marketing practice litigation.

Her research focuses on intellectual property law, marketing law and contract law, also discussing borderlines between these fields of law and EU/EEA law. She is a dedicated teacher and has been teaching large and small classes at BI since 1996.

Viken has also been Head of Department of Law and Governance,Associate Dean for the bachelor program in law and business and course responsible for several legal courses at all levels.

Viken is a member of the editorial board for the Journal of Business Law (Tidsskrift for forretningsjus) and peer reviewer for GRUR International and Nordic Intellectual Property LawReview (Nordiskt Immateriellt Râttsskydd – NIR). She is also a member of Karnov Group Norway Advisory Board.

Viken is widely used as an expert witness in courts regarding survey evidence in trademark cases in Scandinavia.She was also a member of the Academic Advisory Board at the European Patent Organisation for several years.

Viken is appointed chair of the Norwegian Market Council (Markedsrådet).

Research/teaching areas:

Marketing law, Intellectual Property Law, Consumer Rights and Contract Law.

Area of Expertise

Publications

Scientific publications

In the media

Other

Shows 5 of 19 publication(s)

Gyldendal Norsk Forlag A/S

Et selskapsliv : Festskrift til Tore Bråthen p. 606-623

GRUR International: Journal of European and International IP Law 72(4) p. 325-326 Doi: https://doi.org/10.1093/grurint/ikad021

Tidsskrift for forretningsjus 28(2) p. 141-147

IIC - International Review of Intellectual Property and Competition Law 51(9) p. 1033-1061 Doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40319-020-00986-z

Freedom of imitation, outside the boundaries of intellectual property protection, can be considered as a prerequisite for free competition in a free market economy. The rules on unfair competition should therefore not serve to extend exclusive rights beyond their scope and term of protection. On the other hand, regulations within national law that prohibit the unfair copying of products may be justified in order to avoid market failure, being directed towards the optimizing of fair competition among honest traders. The borderline between these two opposite positions is regulated with different approaches in the European countries. This article considers the extent to which the public interest in free competition and the protection of a trader against unfair competition function together in a complementary manner under Scandinavian legislation. In the early 1970s, the Scandinavian countries developed a distinctive approach to regulations on unfair competition under the Marketing Laws. This article undertakes an investigation of these regulations relating to the borderline between legitimate and unfair copying as of 2020, revealing the extent to which there is a unified approach to copying in Scandinavia. Differences between the regulations will have influence on the legal relationship and conflicts among traders operating in all three countries, while a unified Scandinavian approach could serve as a robust solution for navigating the borderline between legitimate and unfair copying. Such analysis might also shed light on how a Scandinavian approach fits into a broader European perspective on this borderline. Thus, the aim of this article is to analyze potential different approaches to the tension between the marketing rules outside the boundaries of intellectual property protection and the principle of legitimate copying. Examination of this borderline can be connected to how the trader’s investments and behaviour are balanced against a market-oriented approach to copying.

Shows 5 of 18 publication(s)

Shows 5 of 53 publication(s)

Consumer Surveys in Trademark Litigation: Reflections on Proportionality, Democracy and Procedural Fairness Doi: https://atrip.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/ATRIP_Copenhagen2025_Program.pdf

Consumer Surveys in Trademark Litigation: Reflections on Proportionality, Democracy and Procedural Fairness Professor Monica Viken, BI Norwegian Business School Consumer perception within the relevant public is important in trademark litigations, e.g. when assessing whether a trademark is distinctive, has gained reputation, is confusing or misleading. As evidence of consumer perceptions consumer surveys are admissible, stated in CJEU-judgements, national court decisions, national patent offices, EUIPO Examinations guidelines and the EUPIN-report CP 12. Holding that the results from a consumer survey is a factual based alternative to the judicial construct of an “average consumer”, there is a division between a statistical approach to consumer perceptions on the one hand and a normative approach on the other. This is in itself not a problem, but differences in litigations costs between the two alternatives can raise questions of proportionality, democracy and procedural fairness. Firstly, conducting a survey has traditionally been costly and it can be questioned whether a consumer survey as evidence is proportionate with an added value to the case at hand. The probative value and flaws in the survey's methodology are addressed by the administrative bodies and the courts, and if a survey is found not to be conducted in line with the needed quality-standard it will be dismissed. Are this risk and considerations on proportionality been reflected by the litigants? Secondly, it can be argued that it is a democracy problem if only large entities are able to put in the needed resources to meet the scientific criteria when conducting a survey, while small entities cannot. Indeed, if the lack of consumer survey is seen as evident in disfavor by courts and administrative bodies, the democracy problem is put forth to a greater extent. Thirdly, increased use of consumer surveys as evidence increases litigation costs substantially in trademark infringement cases and in the registration processes. In cases where each of the parties conduct surveys subsequently arriving at different conclusions and expert witnesses on both sides criticize their counterpart’s survey, then the consequences in terms of litigation costs will be further stressed. These cost-driven cases can in general put pressure on procedural fairness. In this paper, I will reflect on whether consumer surveys are justifiable in trademark disputes based on these three angles.

• The future of copyright in the age of AI Doi: https://www.eui.eu/events?id=578340

Fagbokforlaget

Universitetsforlaget

Det årlige opphavsrettskurset

Academic Degrees
Year	Academic Department	Degree
2011	Copenhagen Business School	Ph.D.
1995	University of Oslo	Master Cand. Jur.

Work Experience
Year	Employer	Job Title
2020 - Present	BI Norwegian Business School	Professor
2012 - Present	BI Norwegian Business School	Associate Professor
2005 - 2011	BI Norwegian Business School	Senior Lecturer
1995 - 2005	BI Norwegian Business School	Lecturer

Monica Viken

Biography

Area of Expertise

Publications

Et selskapsliv : Festskrift til Tore Bråthen

Kan brudd på god meglerskikk utløse sanksjoner etter markedsføringsloven?

When Trade Mark Law Functions Doctrine Preempts Unfair Competition Law

Høyesterett spiller opp – hører vi svanesangen til markedsføringsrettens generalklausul i varemerkesaker?

The Borderline Between Legitimate and Unfair Copying of Products – A Unified Scandinavian Approach?

Når EMK verner juridiske personer - Illustrert ved nasjonal regulering av markedsføring

Hvor effektive er de norske opphavsrettslige håndhevingsregler?

Sterkere virkemidler med utilsiktede konsekvenser i norsk markedsføringslov?

Bevisverdien av markedsundersøkelser - utviklingstendenser i Marknadsdomstolens praksis

Juridiske og etiske rammer for innholdsmarkedsføring

Franchising in Norway – Balancing Complexity in a Contractual Relationship

Hva tenker du på når du ser rødt? (Bruk av farger som varemerke)

Dokumentasjon for innarbeidet særpreg – i kjølvannet av de forenede saker C-217/13 og C-218/13 (Sparkassen) om fargemerker

Markedsføring av eiendomsmeglingsvirksomhet - juridiske rammer

Legal Aspects Regarding the Use of Market Surveys as Evidence

Markedsundersøkelser som bevis i varemerke- og markedsføringsrett

Omsetningskretsens oppfatning som vurderingstema i varemerke- og markedsføringsrett

Beskyttelse mot uønsket markedsføring etter ny markedsføringslov

Rettspraksis om eiendomsmeglingsloven

Organisasjoner hemmeligholder hvor mye du betaler for å bli vervet som fadder

Nye anklager mot Hanvold i NRK-dokumentar

Youtube generasjonen Bestevenn til salgs

Diskusjonen om innholdsmarkedsføring har handlet mest om Vær Varsom-plakaten. Det er en alt for snever debatt.

Når man ikke eier "Skam"

Bryter loven på Snapchat

Opererer i juridisk grenseland. Om markedsføring av mirakler

Toro-stunt kan være brudd på god forretningsskikk

Vurdering av konkurranseregler i markedsføring

Rettens dilemma i hotellstrid - hvem snakker sant?

Sportskjeder i krangel i retten

Strømpriser - villedende markedsføring?

Språk i boligannonser - juridiske rammer

Produktkopiering i dagligvarebransjen

Juridisk ekspert på Forbrukerinspektørene NRK - Salg av bolig privat

Intervju om villedende markedsføring, TV2 Hjelper deg

Intervju. Om salg av hytte med gratis bil på kjøpet - villedende markedsføring

Omtale i forskning. no. Bevis fra markedet i retten

Consumer Surveys in Trademark Litigation: Reflections on Proportionality, Democracy and Procedural Fairness

The future of copyright in the age of AI

Lov og rett for næringslivet

Varemerkeloven. Lovkommentar

Det opphavsrettslige vernet for brukskunst og forholdet til markedsføringsloven

Lov og rett for næringslivet

Lov og rett for næringslivet

Lov og rett for næringslivet

Innføring i forretningsjus

Lov og rett for næringslivet

Innføring i forretningsjus

Proving reputation by survey evidence - a Nordic perspective

Lov og rett for næringslivet

Markedsundersøkelser - hvor går vi nå?

DnD og filmpakka- reduserte inntekter pga. digitaliseringen fører til mindre mangfold

Innføring i forretningsjus

Lov og rett for næringslivet

The most stringent in Scandinavia, Norwegian Enforcement Regulation

Lov og rett for næringslivet

Håndheving av markedsføringsloven - nye regler

Innføring i forretningsjus

Bruk av markedsundersøkelser som bevis ved innarbeidelse av varemerker

Best practices: Ways to integrate IP in business schools

Vernet for produktetterligning etter markedsføringsloven

Lov og rett for næringslivet

Endringer i markedsføringslovens håndhevingsregler

The film industry («filmpakka»)

Innføring i forretningsjus

Markedsundersøkelser i varemerkesaker

Innføring i forretningsjus

Lov og rett for næringslivet

Innføring i forretningsjus

KULMEDIA-programmet, Digitization and Diversity The film industry («filmpakka»)

Lov og rett for næringslivet

Konkurranser og premier som lokkemiddel for inngåelse av oppdrag

Markedsundersøkelsers bevisverdi - europeisk praksis

Markedsføring av eiendom og meglertjenester

Foredrag: Markedsføring av eiendom - Juridiske rammer

Det norske forbudet mot kjøpsbetingede konkurranser i markedsføringsloven ansett i strid med handelspraksisdirektivet