diff --git a/src/java/org/apache/http/cookie/impl/BasicPathHandler.java b/src/java/org/apache/http/cookie/impl/BasicPathHandler.java
index 9bb1e8f4e..32dcda80e 100644
--- a/src/java/org/apache/http/cookie/impl/BasicPathHandler.java
+++ b/src/java/org/apache/http/cookie/impl/BasicPathHandler.java
@@ -68,9 +68,6 @@ public class BasicPathHandler implements CookieAttributeHandler {
             throw new IllegalArgumentException("Cookie origin may not be null");
         }
         String targetpath = origin.getPath();
-        if (targetpath == null) {
-            targetpath = "/";
-        }
         String topmostPath = cookie.getPath();
         if (topmostPath == null) {
             topmostPath = "/";
diff --git a/src/java/org/apache/http/cookie/impl/BrowserCompatSpec.java b/src/java/org/apache/http/cookie/impl/BrowserCompatSpec.java
index 3dc44846d..5395c976e 100644
--- a/src/java/org/apache/http/cookie/impl/BrowserCompatSpec.java
+++ b/src/java/org/apache/http/cookie/impl/BrowserCompatSpec.java
@@ -83,7 +83,7 @@ public class BrowserCompatSpec extends CookieSpecBase {
         if (header == null) {
             throw new IllegalArgumentException("Header may not be null");
         }
-        if (header == null) {
+        if (origin == null) {
             throw new IllegalArgumentException("Cookie origin may not be null");
         }
         String headervalue = header.getValue();
diff --git a/src/java/org/apache/http/cookie/impl/CookieSpecBase.java b/src/java/org/apache/http/cookie/impl/CookieSpecBase.java
index 18d463baa..b1fbcecd8 100644
--- a/src/java/org/apache/http/cookie/impl/CookieSpecBase.java
+++ b/src/java/org/apache/http/cookie/impl/CookieSpecBase.java
@@ -103,9 +103,6 @@ public abstract class CookieSpecBase extends AbstractCookieSpec {
         if (origin == null) {
             throw new IllegalArgumentException("Cookie origin may not be null");
         }
-        if (cookie.getName() == null || cookie.getName().trim().equals("")) {
-            throw new MalformedCookieException("Cookie name may not be blank");
-        }
         for (Iterator i = getAttribHandlerIterator(); i.hasNext();) {
             CookieAttributeHandler handler = (CookieAttributeHandler) i.next();
             handler.validate(cookie, origin);
diff --git a/src/test/org/apache/http/cookie/impl/TestBrowserCompatSpec.java b/src/test/org/apache/http/cookie/impl/TestBrowserCompatSpec.java
index 66a1bd3fe..9cb7ff57f 100644
--- a/src/test/org/apache/http/cookie/impl/TestBrowserCompatSpec.java
+++ b/src/test/org/apache/http/cookie/impl/TestBrowserCompatSpec.java
@@ -553,6 +553,23 @@ public class TestBrowserCompatSpec extends TestCase {
         assertEquals(1, parsed.length);
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Tests if cookie constructor rejects cookie name containing blanks.
+     */
+    public void testCookieNameBlank() throws Exception {
+        Header header = new Header("Set-Cookie", "=stuff");
+        CookieSpec cookiespec = new BrowserCompatSpec();
+        CookieOrigin origin = new CookieOrigin("127.0.0.1", 80, "/", false);
+        try {
+            Cookie[] parsed = cookiespec.parse(header, origin);
+            for (int i = 0; i < parsed.length; i++) {
+                cookiespec.validate(parsed[i], origin);
+            }
+            fail("MalformedCookieException should have been thrown");
+        } catch (MalformedCookieException expected) {
+        }
+    }
+
     /**
      * Tests if cookie constructor rejects cookie name starting with $.
      */
@@ -885,5 +902,56 @@ public class TestBrowserCompatSpec extends TestCase {
         new MalformedCookieException("whatever", null); 
     }
 
+    public void testInvalidInput() throws Exception {
+        CookieSpec cookiespec = new BrowserCompatSpec();
+        try {
+            cookiespec.parse(null, null);
+            fail("IllegalArgumentException must have been thrown");
+        } catch (IllegalArgumentException ex) {
+            // expected
+        }
+        try {
+            cookiespec.parse(new Header("Set-Cookie", "name=value"), null);
+            fail("IllegalArgumentException must have been thrown");
+        } catch (IllegalArgumentException ex) {
+            // expected
+        }
+        try {
+            cookiespec.validate(null, null);
+            fail("IllegalArgumentException must have been thrown");
+        } catch (IllegalArgumentException ex) {
+            // expected
+        }
+        try {
+            cookiespec.validate(new Cookie("name", null), null);
+            fail("IllegalArgumentException must have been thrown");
+        } catch (IllegalArgumentException ex) {
+            // expected
+        }
+        try {
+            cookiespec.match(null, null);
+            fail("IllegalArgumentException must have been thrown");
+        } catch (IllegalArgumentException ex) {
+            // expected
+        }
+        try {
+            cookiespec.match(new Cookie("name", null), null);
+            fail("IllegalArgumentException must have been thrown");
+        } catch (IllegalArgumentException ex) {
+            // expected
+        }
+        try {
+            cookiespec.formatCookies(null);
+            fail("IllegalArgumentException must have been thrown");
+        } catch (IllegalArgumentException ex) {
+            // expected
+        }
+        try {
+            cookiespec.formatCookies(new Cookie[] {});
+            fail("IllegalArgumentException must have been thrown");
+        } catch (IllegalArgumentException ex) {
+            // expected
+        }
+    }
+    
 }
-