Patent ID: 8701204

Claim:
A method for sharing referenced content through collaborative business applications, the method comprising: detecting referenced content in an electronic communication that is processed by a messaging server, the referenced content referencing content stored in an external repository, wherein the electronic communication is a select one of: an instant message, an audio communication, and a video communication; identifying an access control list for the referenced content, wherein an external content element listed in the access control list includes a group having at least one user entry with permissions to access that content element; determining a registered external repository connector associated with the detected content, where the external repository connector interfaces with a content server associated with the external repository and is registered with a content access controller that controls access to the referenced content based upon the access control list; determining recipients based upon current addressees of the electronic communication; determining further recipients within a chain of electronic communications associated with the electronic communication, where any further recipients are not among the current addressees in the electronic communication; determining, with the registered external repository connector, that the access control list for the referenced content lacks an entry for a recipient associated with the electronic communication; and updating the access control list by generating an entry in the access control list for the recipient in response to the recipient lacking an entry in the access control list for the referenced content, the entry controlling access to the referenced content for the recipient.