rapidocr/python/MODEL_LICENSES.md

RapidOCR Model License and Attribution Notice

This document records the license, copyright attribution, provenance, and redistribution requirements for OCR model artifacts distributed by RapidOCR. It does not replace or modify the Apache License, Version 2.0.

All models registered in rapidocr/default_models.yaml are licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (Apache-2.0), without exception.

1. Separate licensed works

RapidOCR contains two separately copyrighted categories of work:

1. Source code and engineering components. Copyright is held by the RapidOCR Authors. These components are licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0, as described in the RapidOCR project LICENSE file.
2. OCR model artifacts. Copyright in the upstream model weights is held by Baidu and/or the applicable PaddleOCR rights holders. RapidOCR does not claim ownership of the upstream model weights.

Both categories are distributed under the Apache License, Version 2.0, but their copyright ownership and provenance remain separate.

2. Scope of this notice

This notice applies to every model registered in rapidocr/default_models.yaml. The registry is the definitive boundary of this notice: all model artifacts recorded there, across all model versions and all supported inference formats, are licensed under Apache-2.0. This includes, without limitation, the legacy ch_ppocr_mobile_v2.0_cls model, the PP-OCRv3, PP-OCRv4, PP-OCRv5, and PP-OCRv6 generations, and their detection, recognition, classification, and text-line orientation variants, in ONNX, MNN, Paddle, and PyTorch representations. The declaration is not limited to the default bundled artifacts listed in Section 6.

The set of models covered by this notice is the set of models registered in rapidocr/default_models.yaml. A model becomes covered when it is registered there. Downstream redistributors should consult the source record of each entry to confirm its upstream origin, format, and cryptographic hash. Such verification identifies the artifact and does not narrow the license scope described here.

The registry also records non-model resources, including recognition dictionaries (dict_url) and fonts (fonts). These resources are not model artifacts and are not covered by the Apache-2.0 declaration in this notice; they remain subject to their own applicable terms. Third-party models, datasets, sample images, inference runtimes, and other assets that are not derived from official PaddleOCR models are likewise not covered.

3. Upstream attribution and licensing evidence

All models registered in rapidocr/default_models.yaml are released by, or derived from models released by, the PaddleOCR project, and are licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0. PaddleOCR itself is released under Apache-2.0. Official PaddlePaddle model cards identify the PP-OCRv6 model weights and ONNX representations as Apache-2.0. PaddleOCR's official model lists identify the earlier generations, including the legacy text angle classification model and the PP-OCRv3, PP-OCRv4, and PP-OCRv5 models, and their official distribution sources.

Upstream references:

• PaddleOCR project: https://github.com/PaddlePaddle/PaddleOCR
• PaddleOCR license: https://github.com/PaddlePaddle/PaddleOCR/blob/main/LICENSE
• PaddleOCR model list: https://github.com/PaddlePaddle/PaddleOCR/blob/main/docs/version3.x/model_list.md
• PaddleOCR ONNX conversion documentation: https://paddlepaddle.github.io/PaddleOCR/latest/en/version3.x/inference_deployment/others/obtaining_onnx_models.html
• Official PP-OCRv6 small detection ONNX model card: https://huggingface.co/PaddlePaddle/PP-OCRv6_small_det_onnx
• Official PP-OCRv6 small recognition ONNX model card: https://huggingface.co/PaddlePaddle/PP-OCRv6_small_rec_onnx
• Official legacy text angle classification model list: https://github.com/PaddlePaddle/PaddleOCR/blob/main/docs/version2.x/ppocr/model_list.en.md

Legacy models that predate official Hugging Face model hosting, including ch_ppocr_mobile_v2.0_cls and the PP-OCRv3 detection and recognition models, are identified through PaddleOCR's official model lists and model download service, and through the source records in rapidocr/default_models.yaml.

4. Applicable license

Every model registered in rapidocr/default_models.yaml is made available under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (Apache-2.0), regardless of model version, model family, or inference format. This declaration applies to every entry in the registry without exception. The complete license text is available at https://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0.

Subject to the conditions of Apache-2.0, the license permits use, reproduction, modification, preparation of derivative works, public display, sublicensing, and distribution in source or object form. These permissions are not restricted to non-commercial use.

The license applies only to rights that the relevant licensors are authorized to grant. No additional model-specific restriction has been identified for any model registered in rapidocr/default_models.yaml.

5. Converted model artifacts

RapidOCR converts or repackages upstream PaddleOCR inference models for use with supported inference engines. These conversions are mechanical transformations of the model representation. Conversion does not transfer ownership of the upstream weights to RapidOCR and does not remove the upstream copyright or attribution.

All models registered in rapidocr/default_models.yaml, including their converted and repackaged representations for every supported inference engine and format, are distributed under the same Apache-2.0 terms that apply to the corresponding upstream PaddleOCR models. The conversion and packaging scripts, configuration, and RapidOCR-authored metadata are separately copyrighted by the RapidOCR Authors and licensed under Apache-2.0 as part of the RapidOCR source code.

A RapidOCR-converted artifact may not be byte-for-byte identical to an ONNX or other representation hosted by PaddlePaddle. Artifact identity must therefore be established using its source record and cryptographic hash rather than its filename alone.

6. Models registered in default_models.yaml

Every model_dir entry in rapidocr/default_models.yaml is covered by the Apache-2.0 declaration in Section 4. The versions recorded in the registry include:

• Legacy models: ch_ppocr_mobile_v2.0_cls (text angle classification) and the PP-OCRv3 detection and recognition models.
• PP-OCRv4, PP-OCRv5, and PP-OCRv6 detection, recognition, classification, and text-line orientation models, across mobile, server, tiny, small, and medium variants and their language variants.
• The corresponding ONNX, MNN, Paddle (.pdmodel), and PyTorch (.pth) representations of those models.

The table below lists representative artifacts distributed with RapidOCR's default ONNX Runtime configuration. It is illustrative and does not limit the scope of this notice.

RapidOCR artifact	Upstream model	SHA-256	RapidOCR source
PP-OCRv6_det_small.onnx	PP-OCRv6_small_det	090f04abcd9d9a7498bc4ebf677e4cb9bdce1fe4197ddb7e529f1ef44e1ff94f	ModelScope
PP-OCRv6_rec_small.onnx	PP-OCRv6_small_rec	6f327246b50388f3c176ae304bd95767ea6dc0c9ae92153ef8cbe210b3c14884	ModelScope
ch_ppocr_mobile_v2.0_cls_mobile.onnx	ch_ppocr_mobile_v2.0_cls	e47acedf663230f8863ff1ab0e64dd2d82b838fceb5957146dab185a89d6215c	ModelScope

The dict_url and fonts entries in the registry are resources, not models, and are excluded from this declaration. rapidocr/default_models.yaml is the authoritative release record for the source URL and SHA-256 value of every registered model artifact.

7. Redistribution requirements

When redistributing a covered model artifact, or a modified or converted form of one, comply with Section 4 of Apache-2.0. In particular, you must:

1. Give recipients a copy of the Apache License, Version 2.0.
2. Cause modified files to carry prominent notices stating that you changed them.
3. Retain applicable copyright, patent, trademark, and attribution notices from the upstream work, except notices that do not pertain to the redistributed work.
4. If an upstream distribution contains a NOTICE file, include the relevant contents of that notice in a permitted form.

At the time of publication, RapidOCR has not identified an additional model-specific NOTICE file for any model registered in rapidocr/default_models.yaml. If a future upstream release supplies one, its applicable contents must be retained.

For converted files, an appropriate modification notice is:

Converted from an official PaddleOCR model to the indicated inference format and packaged for use with RapidOCR. The upstream model weights are copyright Baidu and/or the applicable PaddleOCR rights holders and are licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0.

8. Trademarks and endorsement

Apache-2.0 does not grant permission to use the trade names, trademarks, service marks, or product names of Baidu, PaddlePaddle, PaddleOCR, or RapidOCR, except as required for reasonable and customary description of the origin of the model artifacts. Redistribution must not imply endorsement, sponsorship, or affiliation without separate permission.

9. Disclaimer

Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, the model artifacts are provided on an AS IS basis, without warranties or conditions of any kind. The warranty disclaimer and limitation of liability in Apache-2.0 apply.

Model accuracy, fitness, security, and regulatory suitability remain the responsibility of the user and downstream distributor. RapidOCR is not a medical device, and neither the model license nor this notice represents a certification or guarantee for medical, safety-critical, or regulated use.

10. Release maintenance

When a RapidOCR release adds or changes a model artifact or model version, maintainers should:

1. Verify that the upstream model is licensed under Apache-2.0 before adding it to rapidocr/default_models.yaml.
2. Record the upstream source and immutable version or revision where available.
3. Record the conversion tool, tool version, model format, and conversion options where available.
4. Record and verify the artifact SHA-256 value.
5. Preserve any applicable upstream copyright, attribution, and NOTICE material.
6. Keep rapidocr/default_models.yaml and the version coverage list in Section 6 in sync when model versions or applicable terms change.