LICENSE FOR THE GPOPS SOFTWARE
(BASED ON THE SIMPLE PUBLIC LICENSE)


PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING LICENSE AGREEMENT CAREFULLY


This is a license for the Gauss Pseudospectral Optimal Control Software (GPOPS). The license for GPOPS is based on the Simple Public License. In the same spirit as the Simple Public License, the language for the GPOPS License is similar to that of GPL 2.0. The words are different, but the goal is the same: to guarantee for all users the freedom to share and change software. If anyone wonders about the meaning of the GPOPS License, they should interpret it as consistent with GPL 2.0. By downloading, using, modifying, or distributing GPOPS, you are agreeing to all of the terms described in this license agreement. Your agreement with this license gives you extremely generous rights, so if you do not agree to the terms of this agreement, you may not proceed further with using, modifying, or distributing GPOPS.

The GPOPS License applies to the software's source and object code and comes with any rights that I have in it (other than trademarks). You agree to the GPOPS License simply by downloading, copying, distributing, or making a derivative work of the software. You get the royalty-free right to:

  • Use the software for any non-commercial purpose
  • Make derivative works of it (this is called a "Derived Work")
  • Copy and distribute it and any Derived Work, provided that the Derived work is also for non-commercial purposes
If you distribute the software or a Derived Work, you must give back to the community by:
  • Prominently noting the date of any changes you make
  • Leaving other people's copyright notices, warranty disclaimers, and license terms in place;
  • Providing the source code, build scripts, installation scripts, and interface definitions in a form that is easy to get and best to modify
  • Licensing it to everyone under the terms of this license, without adding further restrictions to the rights provided;
  • Conspicuously announcing that it is available under that license.
  • Promising that you will not make a profit of any kind from the distribution or re-distribution of the software.

GPOPS is a completely free software for academic, not-for-profit, or government use. Commercial use of GPOPS is strictly prohibited without permission. Permission may be obtained for a commercial organization to use GPOPS by contacting Dr. Anil V. Rao at anilvrao@gmail.com. Potential commercial users of GPOPS are, however, permitted to download the software for evaluation purposes for a period of 90 (ninety) days. After the 90-day evaluation period, a commercial user must either terminate use of GPOPS or purchase a commercial license. Under no circumstances may anyone except the copyright holders of GPOPS profit from the use or distribution of GPOPS.

There are some things that you must shoulder: (1) You get NO WARRANTIES. None of any kind; (2) If the software damages you in any way, you may only recover direct damages up to the amount you paid for it (that is zero if you did not pay anything). You may not recover any other damages, including those called "consequential damages." (The state or country where you live may not allow you to limit your liability in this way, so this may not apply to you).

The GPOPS License continues perpetually, except that your license rights end automatically if:
  • You do not abide by the "give back to the community" terms (your licensees get to keep their rights if they abide);
  • Anyone prevents you from distributing the software under the terms of this license agreement;
  • You use any portion of the software for commercial purposes or sell any portion of the software (and, of course, are not one of the copyright holders).

THE GPOPS LICENSE IS NOT THE SIMPLE PUBLIC LICENSE, BUT IS BASED ON THE SIMPLE PUBLIC LICENSE.

In addition, to the license given above, the following is a condition of using or modifying the GPOPS softare in any manner: any results presented using GPOPS (i.e., conference papers, journal papers, oral presentations, or any other media) will include explicit citations to the fact that GPOPS was used to generate the results. In particular, it is mandatory to cite the following references in any such media where results using GPOPS are presented:
  1. Rao, A. V., Benson, D. A., Darby C. L., Patterson, M. A., Francolin, C., Sanders, I., and Huntington, G. T., “GPOPS: A MATLAB Software for Solving Multiple-Phase Optimal Control Problems Using the Gauss Pseudospectral Method,” ACM Transactions on Mathematical Software, Vol. 37, No. 2, to appear.
  2. Garg, D., Patterson, M. A., Hager, W. W., Rao, A. V., Benson, D. A., and Huntington, G. T., “A Unified Framework for the Numerical Solution of Optimal Control Problems Using Pseudospectral Methods,” Automatica, Provisionally accepted for publication, December 2009.
  3. Benson, D. A., A Gauss Pseudospectral Transcription for Optimal Control, Ph.D. Thesis, Dept. of Aeronautics and Astronautics, MIT, November 2004.
  4. Huntington, G. T., Advancement and Analysis of a Gauss Pseudospectral Transcription for Optimal Control, Ph.D. Thesis, Dept. of Aeronautics and Astronautics, MIT, May 2007.
  5. Benson, D. A., Huntington, G. T., Thorvaldsen, T. P., and Rao, A. V., "Direct Trajectory Optimization and Costate Estimation via an Orthogonal Collocation Method, Journal of Guidance, Control, and Dynamics, Vol. 29, No. 6, November-December 2006, pp. 1435-1440.
  6. Huntington, G. T., Benson, D. A., and Rao, A. V., Design of Optimal Tetrahedral Spacecraft Formations, The Journal of the Astronautical Sciences, Vol. 55, No. 2, April-June 2007, pp. 141-169.
  7. Huntington, G. T. and Rao, A. V., "Optimal Reconfiguration of Spacecraft Formations Using a Gauss Pseudospectral Method," Journal of Guidance, Control, and Dynamics, Vol. 31, No. 3, May-June 2008, pp. 689-698.
  8. Huntington, G. T., Benson, D. A., How, J. P., Kanizay, N., Darby, C. L., and Rao, A. V., "Computation of Boundary Controls Using a Gauss Pseudospectral Method," 2007 Astrodynamics Specialist Conference, Mackinac Island, Michigan, August 2007.

THE GPOPS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM, OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE.