diff --git a/Makefile.am b/Makefile.am
index 18484022..71046b2f 100644
--- a/Makefile.am
+++ b/Makefile.am
@@ -36,6 +36,7 @@ DISTCHECK_CONFIGURE_FLAGS =
 
 EXTRA_DIST = autogen.sh autogen.rc gpgme.spec.in  \
              ChangeLog-2011 m4/ChangeLog-2011     \
+             build-aux/libtool-patch.sed          \
              conf/whatisthis VERSION LICENSES
 
 # This artificial line is to put a dependency to conf/config.h for 'all'
diff --git a/build-aux/libtool-patch.sed b/build-aux/libtool-patch.sed
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..ac5a3bad
--- /dev/null
+++ b/build-aux/libtool-patch.sed
@@ -0,0 +1,68 @@
+#
+# This is a sed script to patch the generated libtool,
+# which works well against both of libtool 2.4.2 and 2.4.7.
+#
+# You may use this work under the terms of a Creative Commons CC0 1.0
+# License/Waiver.
+#
+# CC0 Public Domain Dedication
+# https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/
+
+#
+# This sed script applys two hunks of the patch:
+#
+#     Part1: after the comment "# bleh windows"
+#     Part2: after the comment "#extension on DOS 8.3..."
+#
+# Only when those two parts are patched correctly, it exits with 0 or
+# else, it exits with 1
+#
+
+# Find the part 1, by the comment
+/^[ \t]*# bleh windows$/b part1_start
+# Not found the part1, raise an error
+$ q1
+b
+
+:part1_start
+n
+# The first line in the part 1 must be the begining of the case statement.
+/^[ \t]*case \$host in$/! q1
+n
+# Insert the entry for x86_64-*mingw32*, for modified versuffix.
+i\
+	      x86_64-*mingw32*)
+i\
+		func_arith $current - $age
+i\
+		major=$func_arith_result
+i\
+		versuffix="6-$major"
+i\
+		;;
+:part1_0
+# Find the end of the case statement
+/^[ \t]*esac$/b find_part2
+# Not found the end of the case statement, raise an error
+$ q1
+n
+b part1_0
+
+:find_part2
+/^[ \t]*# extension on DOS 8.3 file.*systems.$/b part2_process
+# Not found the part2, raise an error
+$ q1
+n
+b find_part2
+
+:part2_process
+$ q1
+s/^[ \t]*\(versuffix=\)\(.*\)\(-$major\)\(.*\)$/\t  case \$host in\n\t  x86_64-*mingw32*)\n\t    \1\26\3\4\n\t    ;;\n\t  *)\n\t    \1\2\3\4\n\t    ;;\n\t  esac/
+t part2_done
+n
+b part2_process
+
+:part2_done
+$ q0
+n
+b part2_done
diff --git a/build-aux/ltmain.sh b/build-aux/ltmain.sh
index c3bcdc06..77963a93 100644
--- a/build-aux/ltmain.sh
+++ b/build-aux/ltmain.sh
@@ -6766,11 +6766,6 @@ func_mode_link ()
 	    elif test -n "$soname_spec"; then
 	      # bleh windows
 	      case $host in
-              x86_64-*mingw32*)
-                func_arith $current - $age
-		major=$func_arith_result
-		versuffix="6-$major"
-		;;
 	      *cygwin* | mingw* | *cegcc*)
 	        func_arith $current - $age
 		major=$func_arith_result
@@ -7504,14 +7499,6 @@ func_mode_link ()
 	  func_arith $current - $age
 	  major=$func_arith_result
 	  versuffix="-$major"
-          case $host in
-          x86_64-*mingw32*)
-             versuffix="6-$major"
-             ;;
-          *)
-             versuffix="-$major"
-             ;;
-          esac
 	  ;;
 
 	*)
diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index d7396a27..7ddb1b4f 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -206,6 +206,44 @@ esac
 
 AM_CONDITIONAL(HAVE_LD_VERSION_SCRIPT, test "$have_ld_version_script" = "yes")
 
+#
+# Specify how we support our local modification of libtool for Windows
+# 64-bit.  Options are:
+#
+# (1) apply: when appying patch fails, it results failure of entire build
+# (2) never: never apply the patch (no try)
+# (3) try: use patched if it goes well, use original if fails
+#
+AC_ARG_WITH([libtool-modification],
+  AS_HELP_STRING([--with-libtool-modification=apply|never|try],
+                 [how to handle libtool modification (default=apply)]),
+                 build_libtool_modification=$withval,
+                 build_libtool_modification=apply)
+
+#
+# Apply a patch (locally maintained one of ours) to libtool
+#
+case $host in
+  x86_64-*mingw32*)
+AC_CONFIG_COMMANDS([libtool-patch],[[
+  if test "$build_selection" = never; then
+    echo "patch not applied"
+  elif (mv -f libtool libtool.orig; \
+        sed -f $srcdir/build-aux/libtool-patch.sed libtool.orig >libtool); then
+    echo "applied successfully"
+  elif test "$build_selection" = try; then
+    mv -f libtool.orig libtool
+    echo "patch failed, thus, using original"
+  else
+    echo "patch failed"
+    as_fn_exit 1
+  fi
+]],[build_selection=$build_libtool_modification])
+  ;;
+  *)
+  ;;
+esac
+
 GPG_DEFAULT=no
 GPGSM_DEFAULT=no
 GPGCONF_DEFAULT=no