diff --git a/src/patchelf.cc b/src/patchelf.cc
index 246496d5..4cc5e183 100644
--- a/src/patchelf.cc
+++ b/src/patchelf.cc
@@ -1500,7 +1500,7 @@ void ElfFile<ElfFileParamNames>::modifyRPath(RPathOp op,
     debug("new rpath is '%s'\n", newRPath.c_str());
 
 
-    if (newRPath.size() <= rpathSize) {
+    if (rpath && newRPath.size() <= rpathSize) {
         memcpy(rpath, newRPath.c_str(), newRPath.size() + 1);
         return;
     }
diff --git a/tests/Makefile.am b/tests/Makefile.am
index 38438b81..135ae4fb 100644
--- a/tests/Makefile.am
+++ b/tests/Makefile.am
@@ -37,7 +37,8 @@ src_TESTS = \
   no-gnu-hash.sh \
   no-dynamic-section.sh \
   args-from-file.sh \
-  basic-flags.sh
+  basic-flags.sh \
+  set-empty-rpath.sh
 
 build_TESTS = \
   $(no_rpath_arch_TESTS)
diff --git a/tests/set-empty-rpath.sh b/tests/set-empty-rpath.sh
new file mode 100755
index 00000000..de846a27
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/set-empty-rpath.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+#! /bin/sh -e
+SCRATCH=scratch/$(basename $0 .sh)
+
+rm -rf ${SCRATCH}
+mkdir -p ${SCRATCH}
+
+cp simple ${SCRATCH}/simple
+
+../src/patchelf --force-rpath --set-rpath "" ${SCRATCH}/simple
+
+${SCRATCH}/simple