Patent ID: 7865819

Claim:
A method for sharing assets in a web site system, comprising: defining a plurality of asset sharing modes having different levels of restrictiveness for sharing assets of a parent object with at least one direct descendent thereof in a hierarchical structure of a web site system having multiple websites, wherein the plurality of asset sharing modes comprises: an IMPOSE mode in which a specified asset of a parent site is imposed on a child site, wherein the child site is able to utilize the specified asset, and wherein the child site is unable to modify or delete the specified asset; an INHERIT mode in which the child site is able to utilize the specified asset, wherein a copy of the specified asset is generated when the child site attempts to modify the specified asset, wherein the child site is able to modify the copy of the specified asset, wherein the copy of the specified asset is stored as an asset only of the child site, and wherein the specified asset is no longer shared and becomes an asset only of the parent site; and a CO-OWN mode in which the child site is able to utilize the specified asset, wherein the child site is able to modify or delete the specified asset, and wherein changes made by the child site are reflected at the parent site; implementing the plurality of asset sharing modes in a software application running on a server machine in the web site system; generating management pages for the at least one direct descendent, wherein the software application performs the generating, wherein the management pages are configured for management of asset sharing in the web site system on a per parent-child pair basis, and wherein the management pages allow for a selection of which one of the plurality of asset sharing modes applies to an individual asset or to one or more sets of the assets; and constraining the sharing of the individual asset or the one or more sets of the assets between the parent object and the at least one direct descendent on the per parent-child pair basis in accordance with the selected asset sharing mode.