Robert Cantrell

IP Strategist

MBA

Robert Cantrell is a professional strategist who specializes on helping clients to optimize their intellectual property strategies.  This means to set directions for innovation and IP protection that make business sense, focus, make the most out of the available resources, secure freedom of action/operation, and mitigate legal and commercial risks.

Robert has been a part of the IP strategy conversation since 1993 when he offered courses and services on patents and competitive intelligence to the pharmaceutical industry.  Robert has since worked both as a consultant and business developer for services including hi-tech and medical devices innovation and protection, IP portfolio and department optimization generally, high stakes patent validity research, IP analytics, IP strategy war gaming, and developing a sales oriented engineering culture to improve the commercial value of inventions.

Academically, Robert has degrees in biology and military science from Duke University and an MBA from Edinburgh Business School of Heriot-Watt University in Scotland.  Robert has a background in both TRIZ (Theory of Inventive Problem Solving) used by engineers and Six Sigma.  He also attended the much respected IBM and Dean Witter sales schools early in his career.  Robert is on the faculty of Patent Resources Group (The Kayton Courses) and frequently gives IP strategy courses through Think IP Strategy’s own curriculum of courses.

Robert has written a number of articles and papers on intellectual property. His book credits include Outpacing the Competition: Patent-Based Business Strategy, Understanding Sun Tzu on the Art of War, and the Mieza book series from Think IP Strategy. He also recently started the documentary production company All Fins On, LLC to film and produce the documentary Dangerous Voyage, The Oceanic Whitetip Shark.  His recent work there and with the Michigan film initiative has immersed him into the world of media IP.

Contact Robert

Email: robert[at] thinkipstrategy [dot] com
Phone: +1 (703) 407-2636
Fax +61 (0) 3 8640 0843