diff --git a/debian/changelog b/debian/changelog
index 2ac6e59ff..389cf6d43 100644
--- a/debian/changelog
+++ b/debian/changelog
@@ -13,6 +13,8 @@ linux (3.2.19-2) UNRELEASED; urgency=low
     (Closes: #629410)
   * Build-Depend on kmod or module-init-tools, not just the latter
   * README.source: Update description of patch system to match current usage
+  * linux-patch-debian: Remove; it is no longer necessary for GPL compliance
+    and does not work with our current patch management
 
  -- Ben Hutchings <ben@decadent.org.uk>  Sat, 02 Jun 2012 20:31:53 +0100
 
diff --git a/debian/rules b/debian/rules
index c73a62972..2fdade4e2 100755
--- a/debian/rules
+++ b/debian/rules
@@ -63,7 +63,7 @@ maintainerclean:
 
 clean: debian/control
 	dh_testdir
-	rm -rf $(BUILD_DIR) $(STAMPS_DIR) debian/lib/python/debian_linux/*.pyc debian/linux-headers-* debian/linux-image-* debian/linux-support-* debian/linux-source-* debian/linux-doc-* debian/linux-manual-* debian/linux-patch-debian-* debian/xen-linux-system-* debian/*-modules-*-di*
+	rm -rf $(BUILD_DIR) $(STAMPS_DIR) debian/lib/python/debian_linux/*.pyc debian/linux-headers-* debian/linux-image-* debian/linux-support-* debian/linux-source-* debian/linux-doc-* debian/linux-manual-* debian/xen-linux-system-* debian/*-modules-*-di*
 	dh_clean
 
 binary-indep: $(STAMPS_DIR)/source-base
diff --git a/debian/rules.real b/debian/rules.real
index a7f56c372..6bf8d612b 100644
--- a/debian/rules.real
+++ b/debian/rules.real
@@ -48,7 +48,6 @@ endif
 
 binary-indep: install-doc
 binary-indep: install-manual
-binary-indep: install-patch
 binary-indep: install-source
 binary-indep: install-support
 
@@ -473,21 +472,6 @@ install-udeb_$(ARCH):
 	dh_gencontrol
 	dh_builddeb
 
-install-patch: PACKAGE = linux-patch-debian-$(VERSION)
-install-patch: pbase := /usr/src/kernel-patches/all/$(UPSTREAMVERSION)
-install-patch: pfull := debian/$(PACKAGE)$(pbase)
-install-patch: DH_OPTIONS = -p$(PACKAGE)
-install-patch:
-	dh_testdir
-	dh_testroot
-	dh_prep
-	dh_installdirs '$(pbase)/apply' '$(pbase)/debian' '$(pbase)/unpatch'
-	dh_install -X.svn debian/patches/* '$(pbase)/debian'
-	install debian/bin/patch.apply '$(pfull)/apply/debian'
-	install debian/templates/patch.unpatch '$(pfull)/unpatch/debian'
-	find '$(pfull)/debian' ! -path '*/series/*' -type f -execdir bzip2 '{}' ';' -execdir chmod 644 '{}.bz2' ';'
-	+$(MAKE_SELF) install-base
-
 install-source: DH_OPTIONS = -plinux-source-$(VERSION)
 install-source: $(BUILD_DIR)/linux-source-$(UPSTREAMVERSION).tar.bz2
 	dh_testdir
diff --git a/debian/templates/control.main.in b/debian/templates/control.main.in
index c3bed04bf..aa5328200 100644
--- a/debian/templates/control.main.in
+++ b/debian/templates/control.main.in
@@ -41,19 +41,6 @@ Description: Linux kernel API manual pages for version @version@
  may be installed at a time.  The linux-doc package containing the
  documentation in other formats is free from such restriction.
 
-Package: linux-patch-debian-@version@
-Architecture: all
-Depends: bzip2, linux-support-@abiname@, python, ${misc:Depends}
-Suggests: linux-source-@version@
-Description: Debian patches to version @version@ of the Linux kernel
- This package includes the patches used to produce the prepackaged
- linux-source-@version@ package, as well as architecture-specific
- patches.
- .
- Note that these patches do NOT apply against a pristine
- Linux @version@ kernel but only against the kernel tarball
- @source_package@_@source_upstream@.orig.tar.gz from the Debian archive.
-
 Package: linux-support-@abiname@
 Architecture: all
 Section: devel
diff --git a/debian/templates/patch.unpatch b/debian/templates/patch.unpatch
deleted file mode 100644
index 51401d9fd..000000000
--- a/debian/templates/patch.unpatch
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,4 +0,0 @@
-#!/bin/sh
-set -e
-
-exec "$(dirname $0)/../apply/debian" orig