Ask HN: How are early-stage AI startups thinking about IP protection?
shaheeniquebal Monday, February 23, 2026Hi HN,
I’m researching how early-stage AI and health-tech startups think about protecting their innovations.
Traditional patents are expensive, slow and often misaligned with how fast AI products evolve. I’m curious:
Are founders filing patents early? Are you relying on trade secrets? Publishing defensively? Not worrying about IP at all? Waiting until revenue?
We’re collecting responses through a short 60-second survey to better understand real-world behavior:
https://forms.gle/8UAytkGNfge4GKrH8
If you’d rather just comment here, that’s equally helpful.
I’m happy to share aggregated insights back with the community.
Thanks, Shaheen
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