Kaja Skille Hestnes

Kaja Skille Hestnes is a member of the Intellectual Property practice group and primarily advises on disputes and other matters relating to intellectual property law. She also has extensive experience in litigation and advocacy, including several years as a deputy judge at Oslo District Court and Vestfold District Court. Kaja regularly represents clients in court proceedings and is a member of SANDS’ litigation team.

Through her work, she has gained experience across a broad range of industries, including aquaculture, industry and the energy sector. She regularly advises clients on the strategic protection and commercialisation of technology, trademarks and other intellectual property assets. Kaja also works with marketing law and advises businesses on, among other matters, the legality of advertising campaigns and commercial communications. She has extensive experience with cases involving disloyal conduct in employment relationships and the misuse of trade secrets, as well as assessing marketing initiatives under the Norwegian Marketing Control Act and principles of fair business practice.

Kaja holds a Master of Laws from the University of Oslo, with a specialisation in intellectual property law. She wrote her master’s thesis while working as a research assistant at the Department of Private Law, affiliated with the research group for Markets, Innovation and Competition. She also serves as an examiner and supervisor for master’s theses in intellectual property law at the University of Oslo and the University of Bergen. In addition, she has served as an examiner for various law courses at Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences, as well as for elective courses in intellectual property law at the University of Oslo and the University of Agder.

Kaja has a particular interest and expertise in the intersection between intellectual property law and sports. She has written her master’s thesis, opinion pieces and a book chapter on athletes’ rights to commercially exploit their own names. She also lectures on the subject and supervises master’s students working in this field. Kaja has experience advising companies and other stakeholders in the sports industry on the strategic protection, management and enforcement of intellectual property rights, including trademarks, name rights and commercial partnerships.