First African American woman to obtain a web-based software patent

When the USPTO granted U.S. Patent No. 6,985,922 B1 on January 10, 2006, Janet Emerson Bashen achieved a distinction widely recognized by historians, technology organizations, and civil rights commentators: she became the first African American woman in United States history to obtain a patent for web-based software. Some sources broaden this to describe her as the first Black woman to hold a software patent in the U.S. more generally.

This achievement is historically significant because it occurred against the backdrop of persistent underrepresentation of women, and especially Black women, in patenting and the technology sector. Studies of U.S. patent data have consistently shown that women, and Black women most acutely, have been granted patents at dramatically lower rates than their male and white counterparts throughout American history. Bashen's patent thus represented a symbolic and substantive breakthrough, demonstrating that innovation in enterprise software was not the exclusive province of traditional Silicon Valley demographics.

Her achievement has been celebrated by institutions such as the Lemelson Foundation, MBHB intellectual property law firm, and Connected Nation, which have profiled her as part of Black History Month recognitions and broader efforts to highlight African American contributions to science and technology. Bashen's story has since been used to inspire young Black women and girls to pursue careers in STEM fields, entrepreneurship, and intellectual property law, cementing her legacy as a pioneering figure in the intersection of technology, law, and civil rights.