Hosted Microsoft OCR library: Free OCR API web service

I got this error; are you a victim of your own popularity?

    {"ParsedResults":[{"FileParseExitCode":-20,"ParsedText":"","ErrorMessage":"Timed out waiting for image parsing result or error generation by OCR","ErrorDetails":"System.TimeoutException: Timed out waiting for image parsing result or error generation by OCR\r\n   bei OCRInteractionLibrary.OCRInteractor.GetResultForImage(String tempPath, String imageName, FileInfo imageFileInfo, Boolean isOverlayRequired, AccesorType accesorType) in d:\\1tmp\\OCRReaderSolution914\\OCRReaderSolution\\OCRInteractionLibrary\\OCRInteractor.cs:Zeile 259."}],"OCRExitCode":3,"IsErroredOnProcessing":false,"ErrorMessage":null,"ErrorDetails":null}

And right below that:

"ADDITIONAL LICENSING REQUIREMENTS AND/OR USE RIGHTS."

Which defines how you can use it in non-development and testing purposes.

Of course, the following clause is just as damning:

"iii. Distribution Restrictions. You may not"

"distribute Distributable Code to run on a platform other than the Windows Store or Windows Phone;"

This clause does not apply here: I assume it is intended to avoid "hacked" OCR libraries that e. g. work with Win32 apps. But as with any hosted service, I do not distribute any code.

Ouch. I was not aware of this, so thanks for the info! I guess the reason for this surprisingly restrictive license is/was the version 1/first release character of the software (namespace Windows"Preview".Media.Ocr).

The good news: In Win 10 the separate library is gone and the OCR feature is a regular part of Windows (Windows.Media.Ocr namespace). Along with this, the separate OCR runtime license is gone. -> I could not find any hint that the new OcrEngine class (or Windows Store apps in general!) have similar "no server use" restrictions -> I will move the OCR app to a Win 10 platform asap.

And while I can not speak for Microsoft, I have good reasons to assume that the ocr api service is doing Microsoft a favor by advertising the great Win 10 OCR features. My web service allows for quick prototyping and testing on any platform. But ultimately no web api can be as responsive as a native OCR solution - which is only available on the Windows platform.

I would not be surprised if the OCR engine shows up in Windows Server 2016, directly usable from ASP.NET.

Were those terms presented as part of the offer before money (or other consideration) changed hands?

If not, who cares what an EULA says, it's not a contract.