Controlling access to documents by parties

A computer-implemented method for controlling access to one or more electronic documents by a plurality of parties who are collaborating on the electronic documents via a network, the parties organized over a plurality of organizations, the organizations organized within a hierarchy, the computer-implemented method comprising:

• storing, by one or more processors, versions of the electronic documents as the versions of the electronic documents are created in a centralized document management system comprising the one or more processors;
• incrementing, by the one or more processors, access counters associated with the versions of the electronic documents as the versions of the electronic documents are created, wherein values of associated access counters determine access to the versions of the electronic documents;
• in response to the one or more processors determining that a party of the plurality of parties collaborating on the electronic documents is attempting to access a current version of the electronic documents, which is maintained in the centralized document management system, via the network, the party associated with a first organization,
• determining, by the one or more processors, whether the first organization is directly authorized to access the electronic documents based on a current value of an access counter associated with the current version of the electronic documents;
• in response to the one or more processors determining that the first organization is not directly authorized to access the current version of the electronic documents,
• determining, by the one or more processors, whether the party is authorized to access any electronic documents of other organizations within the hierarchy;
• in response to the one or more processors determining that the party is not authorized to access any electronic documents of other organizations within the hierarchy, preventing, by the one or more processors, the party from accessing the current version of the electronic documents;
• and
• in response to the one or more processors determining that the party is authorized to access any electronic documents of other organizations within the hierarchy,
• determining, by the one or more processors, whether the first organization is under a second organization within the hierarchy, the second organization directly authorized to access the electronic documents.