Method and system for online document collaboration

1. A method for online document collaboration, the method comprising the steps performed by a server computer:

establishing, on the server computer coupled to the Internet, an account for each of a plurality of users;

storing, on the server computer, a document created by a first user;

associating a set of access restrictions with the document, said access restrictions including an ability to access the document for modification by one of a first group of users, said first group of users being users whose identities are known to the server computer;

receiving, from a second user, a request to modify the document, wherein said request to modify accompanies the second user's identification information;

verifying the identity of the second user;

permitting the second user to modify the document based on a set of access rights granted to the second user;

receiving approval or disapproval for the modifications from one or more users; and

storing identifying information of the one or more users who approved or disapproved the modifications to the document.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of verifying the identity of the second user further comprises the step of:

verifying the second user based on one or more criteria from: (a) a description of information accessible using an authorization key, (b) an expiration time for an authorization key, (c) the trustworthiness of the second user, (d) the second user's password, (e) a security level of the second user, (f) security level of a requesting device, (g) security level of a device to which access is to be provided, (h) a security level of a password that the second party provides, (i) type of device used by the second party, (j) identity of a device used by the second party, (k) address from where a request is made, (l) Internet address from which a request is made, (m) time of day, or (n) day of week.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of:

creating an audit trail of the document access.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of:

if the document is modified, notifying one or more members of a group of users that the document was modified or transmitting the modified document to one or more members of a group.

5. The method of claim 1 , where the modification to the document includes adding new material to the document, deleting material from the document, making notes within the document, underlining material in the document, adding a digital signature to the document or highlighting material in the document.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of:

applying the modification made by the second user to the document.

7. The method of claim 6 , further comprising the step of:

storing the identity of the second user.

8. The method of claim 6 , further comprising the step of:

storing the modified document.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of:

storing the modifications made by the second user to the document.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the document is a web page, a news article, a word processor document, a spread sheet, a presentation, an e-book, a piece of music, a piece of audio, a piece of video, a movie, an image, a photograph, or a three-dimensional image.

11. A server computer system comprising a processor configured to execute the method of claim 1 .