What I mean was what happens if in Word, you go to File->Open, click on "Web Folders" and browse to the Zope hosted doc. Does it open read-only then too?

No, I can save the file in Zope. FR Francois-regis Chalaoux wrote:

...

What happens when you open it from the web folder directly in Word?

I Open Word with the required document.

...

Is it still read-only??

No, I can save it.

FR