Patent ID: 7970743

Claim:
A method of managing content, comprising: receiving an indication that a first stored object linked to a content object in a metadata store and associated with an item of content in a content store comprising a body of managed content is no longer subject to retention based on the expiration of a first retention policy associated with the first stored object; wherein the first retention policy in part ensures the item of content required to be retained is not disposed before the expiration of the first retention policy; using a processor to decrement a link count associated with the content object; in the event that the link count is greater than zero: determining that the item of content is associated with at least a second stored object associated with a second retention policy and linked to the content object; deleting or otherwise disposing of the first stored object; and retaining the content object in the metadata store and the item of content in the content store based at least in part on the second retention policy; and in the event that the link count is not greater than zero, deleting or otherwise disposing of the content object in the metadata store, the item of content in the content store, and the first stored object.