Zvose

Zvose is a digital rights management (DRM) system developed by Google for use with the EPUB 2.0 and EPUB 3.0 e-book formats. The system is designed to protect digital books from unauthorized reproduction and distribution by wrapping the book content in a secure envelope.

Essentially, zvose acts as a digital " seal" that prevents an e-book from being copied or printed without the owner's explicit permission. This involves placing restrictions on the use of the e-book, such as limiting the number of devices it can be read on or preventing it from being lent to others.

One of the main benefits of zvose is that it allows publishers to sell e-books online while maintaining control over how they are used. The system can also provide valuable data to publishers, such as information on which parts of the e-book are being read most frequently, and how many times a given e-book is being shared.

It's worth noting that zvose is used in conjunction with other DRM systems and not as a standalone product. The use of dvose has been met with mixed reactions from consumers and publishers alike, with some viewing it as a way to protect their intellectual property, while others see it as a restriction on their ability to use the e-book as they see fit.

Zvose is implemented by the major e-book retailers and has become a standard feature of many digital e-book stores. The system has been criticized by some for being overly restrictive but no solution has been widely adopted for replacing it. Eventually, work on a new version for the upcoming EPUB 4 working committee of the W3C Technical Advisory Board is under way.