diff --git a/src/it/mpmd-168-empty-report/verify.groovy b/src/it/mpmd-168-empty-report/verify.groovy
index 2870b7a3..6ee06d2c 100644
--- a/src/it/mpmd-168-empty-report/verify.groovy
+++ b/src/it/mpmd-168-empty-report/verify.groovy
@@ -26,12 +26,14 @@ assert projectReports.getText( "UTF-8" ).contains( "cpd.html" )
 
 File pmdReportInSite = new File( siteDir, "pmd.html" )
 assert pmdReportInSite.exists()
+assert pmdReportInSite.getText( "UTF-8" ).contains( "PMD found no problems in your source code." )
 
 File pmdXmlInTarget = new File( targetDir, "pmd.xml" )
 assert pmdXmlInTarget.exists()
 
 File cpdReportInSite = new File( siteDir, "cpd.html" )
 assert cpdReportInSite.exists()
+assert cpdReportInSite.getText( "UTF-8" ).contains( "CPD found no problems in your source code." )
 
 File cpdXmlInTarget = new File( targetDir, "cpd.xml" )
 assert cpdXmlInTarget.exists()
diff --git a/src/main/java/org/apache/maven/plugins/pmd/PmdReportGenerator.java b/src/main/java/org/apache/maven/plugins/pmd/PmdReportGenerator.java
index d76ad73f..1d744b8d 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/apache/maven/plugins/pmd/PmdReportGenerator.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/apache/maven/plugins/pmd/PmdReportGenerator.java
@@ -62,9 +62,6 @@ public class PmdReportGenerator
 
     private boolean renderRuleViolationPriority;
 
-    // The number of erroneous files
-    private int fileCount = 0;
-
     private Map<File, PmdFileInfo> files;
 
     // private List<Metric> metrics = new ArrayList<Metric>();
@@ -159,6 +156,9 @@ private void startFileSection( String currentFilename, PmdFileInfo fileInfo )
         sink.table();
         sink.tableRow();
         sink.tableHeaderCell();
+        sink.text( bundle.getString( "report.pmd.column.rule" ) );
+        sink.tableHeaderCell_();
+        sink.tableHeaderCell();
         sink.text( bundle.getString( "report.pmd.column.violation" ) );
         sink.tableHeaderCell_();
         if ( this.renderRuleViolationPriority )
@@ -183,6 +183,11 @@ private void processSingleRuleViolation( RuleViolation ruleViolation, PmdFileInf
     {
         sink.tableRow();
         sink.tableCell();
+        sink.link( ruleViolation.getRule().getExternalInfoUrl() );
+        sink.text( ruleViolation.getRule().getName() );
+        sink.link_();
+        sink.tableCell_();
+        sink.tableCell();
         sink.text( ruleViolation.getDescription() );
         sink.tableCell_();
 
@@ -200,7 +205,7 @@ private void processSingleRuleViolation( RuleViolation ruleViolation, PmdFileInf
         int endLine = ruleViolation.getEndLine();
         if ( endLine != beginLine )
         {
-            sink.text( "&#x2013;" );
+            sink.text( "&#x2013;" ); // \u2013 is a medium long dash character
             outputLineLink( endLine, fileInfo );
         }
 
@@ -221,7 +226,6 @@ private void processViolations()
 
         // TODO files summary
 
-        fileCount = files.size();
         List<RuleViolation> violations2 = new ArrayList<>( violations );
         Collections.sort( violations2, new Comparator<RuleViolation>()
         {
@@ -268,7 +272,7 @@ public int compare( RuleViolation o1, RuleViolation o2 )
             endFileSection();
         }
 
-        if ( fileCount == 0 )
+        if ( violations.isEmpty() )
         {
             sink.paragraph();
             sink.text( bundle.getString( "report.pmd.noProblems" ) );
diff --git a/src/main/resources/pmd-report.properties b/src/main/resources/pmd-report.properties
index 6b2cd01a..df6632f2 100644
--- a/src/main/resources/pmd-report.properties
+++ b/src/main/resources/pmd-report.properties
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@
 report.pmd.name=PMD
 report.pmd.description=Verification of coding rules.
 report.pmd.title=PMD Results
+report.pmd.column.rule=Rule
 report.pmd.column.violation=Violation
 report.pmd.column.priority=Priority
 report.pmd.column.line=Line
diff --git a/src/main/resources/pmd-report_de.properties b/src/main/resources/pmd-report_de.properties
index de8ee931..6cdcd100 100644
--- a/src/main/resources/pmd-report_de.properties
+++ b/src/main/resources/pmd-report_de.properties
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@
 report.pmd.name=PMD
 report.pmd.description=Verifikation von Code-Richtlinien.
 report.pmd.title=PMD Ergebnisse
+report.pmd.column.rule=Regel
 report.pmd.column.violation=Versto\u00df
 report.pmd.column.priority=Priorit\u00e4t
 report.pmd.column.line=Zeile
diff --git a/src/test/java/org/apache/maven/plugins/pmd/CpdReportTest.java b/src/test/java/org/apache/maven/plugins/pmd/CpdReportTest.java
index 88a794cd..2dac659d 100644
--- a/src/test/java/org/apache/maven/plugins/pmd/CpdReportTest.java
+++ b/src/test/java/org/apache/maven/plugins/pmd/CpdReportTest.java
@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@
 import java.util.ArrayList;
 import java.util.Iterator;
 import java.util.List;
+import java.util.Locale;
 
 import javax.xml.parsers.DocumentBuilder;
 import javax.xml.parsers.DocumentBuilderFactory;
@@ -58,6 +59,7 @@ protected void setUp()
         throws Exception
     {
         super.setUp();
+        Locale.setDefault( Locale.ENGLISH );
         FileUtils.deleteDirectory( new File( getBasedir(), "target/test/unit" ) );
     }
 
@@ -300,6 +302,7 @@ public void testEmptyReportConfiguration()
         assertTrue( FileUtils.fileExists( generatedFile.getAbsolutePath() ) );
         String str = readFile( new File( getBasedir(), "target/test/unit/empty-report/target/site/cpd.html" ) );
         assertFalse( lowerCaseContains( str, "Hello.java" ) );
+        assertTrue( str.contains( "CPD found no problems in your source code." ) );
     }
 
     public void testCpdEncodingConfiguration()
diff --git a/src/test/java/org/apache/maven/plugins/pmd/PmdReportTest.java b/src/test/java/org/apache/maven/plugins/pmd/PmdReportTest.java
index eb2fa231..1ed3647f 100644
--- a/src/test/java/org/apache/maven/plugins/pmd/PmdReportTest.java
+++ b/src/test/java/org/apache/maven/plugins/pmd/PmdReportTest.java
@@ -89,7 +89,12 @@ public void testDefaultConfiguration()
         assertTrue( str.contains( "/xref/def/configuration/AppSample.html#L45" ) );
 
         // check if there's a priority column
-        assertTrue( str.contains( "Priority" ) );
+        assertTrue( str.contains( "<th>Priority</th>" ) );
+
+        // there should be a rule column
+        assertTrue( str.contains( "<th>Rule</th>" ) );
+        // along with a link to the rule
+        assertTrue( str.contains( "pmd_rules_java_bestpractices.html#unusedprivatefield\">UnusedPrivateField</a>" ) );
     }
 
     public void testDefaultConfigurationNotRenderRuleViolationPriority()
@@ -339,6 +344,7 @@ public void testEmptyReportConfiguration()
         assertTrue( FileUtils.fileExists( generatedFile.getAbsolutePath() ) );
         String str = readFile( generatedFile );
         assertFalse( lowerCaseContains( str, "Hello.java" ) );
+        assertTrue( str.contains( "PMD found no problems in your source code." ) );
     }
 
     public void testInvalidFormat()