diff --git a/doc/conf.py b/doc/conf.py
index 20845a5a0e..48d27f7062 100644
--- a/doc/conf.py
+++ b/doc/conf.py
@@ -47,12 +47,9 @@
 #
 
 from fail2ban.version import version as fail2ban_version
-from distutils.version import LooseVersion
-
-fail2ban_loose_version = LooseVersion(fail2ban_version)
 
 # The short X.Y version.
-version = ".".join(str(_) for _ in fail2ban_loose_version.version[:2])
+version = ".".join(str(_) for _ in fail2ban_version.split(".")[:2])
 # The full version, including alpha/beta/rc tags.
 release = fail2ban_version
 
diff --git a/fail2ban/server/filterpyinotify.py b/fail2ban/server/filterpyinotify.py
index 81bc7de393..f2f31e6fb5 100644
--- a/fail2ban/server/filterpyinotify.py
+++ b/fail2ban/server/filterpyinotify.py
@@ -24,7 +24,6 @@
 __license__ = "GPL"
 
 import logging
-from distutils.version import LooseVersion
 import os
 from os.path import dirname, sep as pathsep
 
@@ -37,10 +36,6 @@
 from ..helpers import getLogger
 
 
-if not hasattr(pyinotify, '__version__') \
-  or LooseVersion(pyinotify.__version__) < '0.8.3': # pragma: no cover
-  raise ImportError("Fail2Ban requires pyinotify >= 0.8.3")
-
 # Verify that pyinotify is functional on this system
 # Even though imports -- might be dysfunctional, e.g. as on kfreebsd
 try:
diff --git a/fail2ban/server/filtersystemd.py b/fail2ban/server/filtersystemd.py
index 5aea9fdadc..abd66e1f76 100644
--- a/fail2ban/server/filtersystemd.py
+++ b/fail2ban/server/filtersystemd.py
@@ -24,11 +24,8 @@
 
 import os
 import time
-from distutils.version import LooseVersion
 
 from systemd import journal
-if LooseVersion(getattr(journal, '__version__', "0")) < '204':
-	raise ImportError("Fail2Ban requires systemd >= 204")
 
 from .failmanager import FailManagerEmpty
 from .filter import JournalFilter, Filter
diff --git a/setup.py b/setup.py
index 9f7bd8fb59..ee9ea4df82 100755
--- a/setup.py
+++ b/setup.py
@@ -24,23 +24,10 @@
 
 import platform
 
-try:
-	import setuptools
-	from setuptools import setup
-	from setuptools.command.install import install
-	from setuptools.command.install_scripts import install_scripts
-	from setuptools.command.build_py import build_py
-	build_scripts = None
-except ImportError:
-	setuptools = None
-	from distutils.core import setup
-
-# older versions
-if setuptools is None:
-	from distutils.command.build_py import build_py
-	from distutils.command.build_scripts import build_scripts
-	from distutils.command.install import install
-	from distutils.command.install_scripts import install_scripts
+import setuptools
+from setuptools import setup
+from setuptools.command.install import install
+from setuptools.command.install_scripts import install_scripts
 
 import os
 from os.path import isfile, join, isdir, realpath
@@ -207,9 +194,9 @@ def run(self):
 	url = "http://www.fail2ban.org",
 	license = "GPL",
 	platforms = "Posix",
-	cmdclass = dict({'build_py': build_py, 'build_scripts': build_scripts} if build_scripts else {}, **{
+	cmdclass = {
 		'install_scripts': install_scripts_f2b, 'install': install_command_f2b
-	}),
+	},
 	scripts = [
 		'bin/fail2ban-client',
 		'bin/fail2ban-server',