A 
system, method, 
computer program product, and propagated 
signal of this collaborative 
system are adapted to track 
metadata relating to an online 
digital asset that captures each user's or group's interest in the asset and thus, in the aggregate, defines a collective interest in the asset and self-selects a relevant 
market based upon the nature of the asset, the distribution, and the collective group. Further, the 
system, method, 
computer program product, and propagated 
signal implement a rights manager to provide for 
digital rights management in collaborative systems. The system includes a plurality of communication clients, inter-communicated by a network, each for initiating a collaborative concurrent 
processing of a 
resource file; and a rights manager, coupled to each the plurality of communications clients, for authorizing the 
processing of the 
resource file responsive to a 
rights management tag associated with the 
resource file, the rights manager securing the 
rights management tag with the resource file to produce a digital resource and the rights manager decrypting the digital resource to produce the resource file and the 
rights management tag. The method includes initiating a collaborative concurrent 
processing of a resource file by a particular one communication 
client of a plurality of communication clients, inter-communicated by a network; and authorizing the processing of the resource file by a rights manager, the authorizing responsive to a rights management tag associated with the resource file, the rights manager securing the rights management tag with the resource file to produce a digital resource and the rights manager decrypting the digital resource to produce the resource file and the rights management tag.