Patent guides for founders
Plain answers on what a patent is, how filing works, what it costs and how to search first. General information, not legal advice.
How to file a patent: the founder’s guide
What actually happens between we built something new and patent pending, how long it takes, and what it costs.
Published Read the guideWhat “patent pending” means, and what it does for you
The two words you can use the day a provisional is filed, and what they do and do not protect.
Published Read the guideWhat is a patent, in founder terms
A patent is a time limited right to stop others from making, using or selling your invention. Here is what that means in practice.
Published Read the guideTypes of patent, and which one a startup needs
Utility, design, plant, provisional, continuation, PCT. What each is for, and which one a startup needs.
Published Read the guidePatent searching: how to find out if your idea is already taken
How prior art search works, what it costs, and why a Tao AI check is not the same thing.
Published Read the guideHow much a provisional patent costs, in real numbers
USPTO filing fees of $65 to $325 by entity size, what professionals charge, what drives the cost, and our fixed $2,500 provisional.
Published Read the guideWhat startup patents cost in 2026
USPTO fees for large, small and micro entities, published attorney fee ranges, Tao IP fixed prices, and the total cost and time to grant, with sources.
Published Read the guideDo you need a patent attorney, or can you file yourself?
You can file a patent application yourself. What a pro se provisional risks, when doing it yourself is reasonable, what an attorney adds, and what each costs.
Published Read the guideCan you patent software or an app idea?
Section 101 and Alice in plain words: which software claims tend to pass, which fail, and how claims are framed around a technical improvement.
Published Read the guideHow to patent an AI or machine learning invention
Where the invention sits in an AI product, what the USPTO credits after Desjardins, why a person must be the inventor, and how to write the disclosure.
Published Read the guideHow to patent an idea as a solo inventor on a budget
Micro entity fees, search first, provisional first, the 12 month clock, and a realistic total for one inventor paying out of pocket.
Published Read the guide
