February 9, 2026
Paper vs product: FIGHT!
Ask HN: Do provisional patents matter for early-stage startups?
Provisional patents vs progress: the crowd shouts 'Ship it!'
TLDR: A founder asked if provisional patents help early fundraising; commenters mostly said speed, traction, and problem clarity matter more. Some advised filing a provisional for optics, others pushed NDAs, and one spicy take suggested stacking patents at $100m in revenue—translation: build first, lawyer later.
A solo AI founder asked Hacker News if filing provisional patents (a temporary “patent pending” placeholder) actually matters for early startups. The comments lit up. The loudest chorus? Speed beats paperwork. One veteran summed it up: investors want adoption and a clear problem solved, not a stack of PDFs. Another shot straight from the hip: software patents are “not worth the paper they’re printed on.” Ouch.
Still, the thread wasn’t all anti-patent. A pragmatic camp said: file one just so you can say you have it, but don’t expect anyone to read it, and don’t forget it expires if you don’t follow up. Then came the spicy power fantasy: “start accumulating patents at $100m ARR”—ARR meaning annual recurring revenue—“for IPO prep.” Cue memes about “patent piles” and “IPO bingo cards.” Meanwhile, the practical crowd waved NDAs (non-disclosure agreements) like a low-cost umbrella when you need to share secrets with partners. The vibe: build fast, learn faster, and only lawyer up when your product is physical or your innovation is the whole show. The community turned this into a classic founder reality check—less legal cosplay, more shipping—and plenty of popcorn for the comments section.
Key Points
- •A solo founder is building AI B2B infrastructure.
- •They are filing provisional patents on core technical approaches.
- •The goal is to share more openly with early design partners and investors while maintaining IP protection.
- •They ask if provisional patents help in pre-seed/seed fundraising or partnerships.
- •They seek real-world input to balance time between IP efforts and shipping/user traction.