Patent ID: 7386783

Claim:
A method for controlling web content usage, comprising: providing web content at a content source, wherein the web content comprises a plurality of sections of web content from a plurality of sources; and attaching a control tag to the web content at the content source to control use of the web content on a portal page, prior to delivery of the web content to a portal page server, wherein the attaching step comprises attaching at least one of: an exclusionary tag to the web content, wherein the exclusionary tag prevents the web content from subsequently being used on the portal page, or a set of grouping tags to the plurality of sections of web content, wherein the set of grouping tags comprises a set of parent grouping tags that causes at least two of the plurality of sections of web content to be used together on the portal page, and wherein set of grouping tags further comprises a set of nested grouping tags that allows one of the plurality of sections of web content to be used apart from the at least two of the plurality of sections on the portal page, further wherein the subsequent use of the web content with the attached control tag is independent of a type of device used to access web content.