Ask HN: I Need Help for a Product

[memoryleakgame]

I have a very high-quality SaaS product that's ready to launch. Everything is complete: the product, testing, LLC, bank account, Stripe, tech stack, etc. But I built it as a programmer trying to create the coolest thing possible for a product I've always wanted to make. My issue is that using Claude as a lawyer is scaring me. What I consider moral and what seems to be legal are two different things. For context, the product uses an AI pipeline to adapt user-provided content into dramatized formats. Think of it as ebook-to-graphic-audio adaptation (though there are other pipelines). The quality is insanely good, but having users bring copyrighted content they own to be adapted is legally unclear. ElevenLabs doesn't add sound effects, so they're fine, but this involves transcription plus additional steps. Claude's legal responses are also scaring me. Even with aggressive content moderation to reject CSAM-related materials, report to authorities, block users, and include it in the ToS, there's a risk that some things could slip through and I'd get sued for massive damages. I also need clarification on whether I'm allowed to cache and reuse generated assets. For example, if a sentence like "Pizza is good" is generated once, can I reuse it a second time at a lower cost instead of regenerating it? I'm just a single programmer without infinite capital to license content. Public domain and CC work won't drive the user interest I need. I need real legal advice, but I can't justify spending $5k on a lawyer just to hear this is a bad idea. What can I do?

[Schiendelman]

IANAL, but I am an experienced PM and founder.

Most startups get a lot of warning before being sued, and the worst that happens to most that do get sued is that they have to shut down. Sure, if you piss off Disney they may come after you, but they'll send a cease and desist before they sue.

If you're successful enough to get noticed and sued, you're also likely to be successful enough to get a lawyer.

I'd recommend you launch. Learn everything you can about your product idea, your approach to thinking. Experiment and figure out what makes people fall off, what they really want and don't want. The vast majority of projects aren't financially successful but you DO learn a lot by shipping and getting real behavior.

[dieselgate]

Dude just get a lawyer. There are plenty of places that can connect you to legal assistance and provide hourly rates. LegalZoom is a one place to start.

I agree with sibling post about the law subreddit but not sure how much the advice will differ.

I am also an LLC owner and have needed the same assistance. LLMs are not lawyers and should only be considered advice/research from a non-legal source.

[TZubiri]

If money is a problem offer equity, looks like it might be a cofounder even. You can try the yc cofounder program in startupschool

[brudgers]

Even with aggressive content moderation to reject CSAM-related materials, report to authorities, block users, and include it in the ToS

If you cannot afford lawyers, you cannot afford even minimal moderation.

You are simply going to be outgunned and insufficiently motivated relative to the expected adversaries who do what they do all day everyday with years of experience and more time and more money.

That is why so many businesses that seem naively obvious don’t exist.

Good luck.

[gidellav]

try lawyer help subreddits