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.

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 the model artifacts listed in Section 6. Other model artifacts available through RapidOCR may have different upstream versions or terms and must be reviewed against their own source records before being redistributed.

This notice does not automatically cover third-party models, datasets, fonts, sample images, inference runtimes, or other assets that are not derived from official PaddleOCR models. Those works remain subject to their own applicable terms.

3. Upstream attribution and licensing evidence

The models in Section 6 are released by, or derived from models released by, the PaddleOCR project. PaddleOCR is released under the Apache License, Version 2.0. Official PaddlePaddle model cards identify the PP-OCRv6 model weights and ONNX representations as Apache-2.0. PaddleOCR's official model list identifies the legacy text angle classification model and its official distribution source.

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

The legacy ch_ppocr_mobile_v2.0_cls model predates the official Hugging Face model hosting and is identified through PaddleOCR's official model list and model download service.

4. Applicable license

The model artifacts in Section 6 are made available under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (Apache-2.0). 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 the PaddleOCR-derived artifacts covered by this notice.

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.

RapidOCR distributes the converted artifacts in Section 6 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. Bundled model artifacts

The following artifacts are covered by this notice and are distributed with RapidOCR's default ONNX Runtime configuration:

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 model registry in rapidocr/default_models.yaml is the authoritative release record for the source URL and SHA-256 value of each supported 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 the artifacts listed in Section 6. 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, maintainers should:

1. Verify the upstream model and its applicable license.
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. Update this notice when the covered model families or applicable terms change.

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