diff --git a/dlib/svm/svm_multiclass_linear_trainer.h b/dlib/svm/svm_multiclass_linear_trainer.h
index dfda0b1d6..436042b2d 100644
--- a/dlib/svm/svm_multiclass_linear_trainer.h
+++ b/dlib/svm/svm_multiclass_linear_trainer.h
@@ -177,7 +177,8 @@ namespace dlib
             num_threads(4),
             C(1),
             eps(0.001),
-            verbose(false)
+            verbose(false),
+            learn_nonnegative_weights(false)
         {
         }
 
@@ -243,6 +244,16 @@ namespace dlib
             return kernel_type();
         }
 
+        bool learns_nonnegative_weights (
+        ) const { return learn_nonnegative_weights; }
+       
+        void set_learns_nonnegative_weights (
+            bool value
+        )
+        {
+            learn_nonnegative_weights = value;
+        }
+
         void set_c (
             scalar_type C_
         )
@@ -297,7 +308,13 @@ namespace dlib
             problem.set_c(C);
             problem.set_epsilon(eps);
 
-            svm_objective = solver(problem, weights);
+            unsigned long num_nonnegative = 0;
+            if (learn_nonnegative_weights)
+            {
+                num_nonnegative = problem.get_num_dimensions();
+            }
+
+            svm_objective = solver(problem, weights, num_nonnegative);
 
             trained_function_type df;
 
@@ -315,6 +332,7 @@ namespace dlib
         scalar_type eps;
         bool verbose;
         oca solver;
+        bool learn_nonnegative_weights;
     };
 
 // ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
diff --git a/dlib/svm/svm_multiclass_linear_trainer_abstract.h b/dlib/svm/svm_multiclass_linear_trainer_abstract.h
index 2e3db35d9..5bfc089b8 100644
--- a/dlib/svm/svm_multiclass_linear_trainer_abstract.h
+++ b/dlib/svm/svm_multiclass_linear_trainer_abstract.h
@@ -32,6 +32,7 @@ namespace dlib
 
             INITIAL VALUE
                 - get_num_threads() == 4 
+                - learns_nonnegative_weights() == false
                 - get_epsilon() == 0.001
                 - get_c() == 1
                 - this object will not be verbose unless be_verbose() is called
@@ -155,6 +156,26 @@ namespace dlib
                   generalization. 
         !*/
 
+        bool learns_nonnegative_weights (
+        ) const;
+        /*!
+            ensures
+                - The output of training is a set of weights and bias values that together
+                  define the behavior of a multiclass_linear_decision_function object.  If
+                  learns_nonnegative_weights() == true then the resulting weights and bias
+                  values will always have non-negative values.  That is, if this function
+                  returns true then all the numbers in the multiclass_linear_decision_function 
+                  objects output by train() will be non-negative.
+        !*/
+       
+        void set_learns_nonnegative_weights (
+            bool value
+        );
+        /*!
+            ensures
+                - #learns_nonnegative_weights() == value
+        !*/
+
         trained_function_type train (
             const std::vector<sample_type>& all_samples,
             const std::vector<label_type>& all_labels