diff --git a/qmake/generators/makefile.cpp b/qmake/generators/makefile.cpp
index 7c359071bfb..f2a1f79d3dd 100644
--- a/qmake/generators/makefile.cpp
+++ b/qmake/generators/makefile.cpp
@@ -1012,10 +1012,7 @@ MakefileGenerator::writePrlFile(QTextStream &t)
         t << "QMAKE_PRL_VERSION = " << project->first("VERSION") << endl;
     if(project->isActiveConfig("staticlib") || project->isActiveConfig("explicitlib")) {
         ProStringList libs;
-        if(!project->isEmpty("QMAKE_INTERNAL_PRL_LIBS"))
-            libs = project->values("QMAKE_INTERNAL_PRL_LIBS");
-        else
-            libs << "QMAKE_LIBS"; //obvious one
+        libs << "QMAKE_LIBS";
         if(project->isActiveConfig("staticlib"))
             libs << "QMAKE_LIBS_PRIVATE";
         t << "QMAKE_PRL_LIBS =";
@@ -3348,10 +3345,7 @@ MakefileGenerator::writePkgConfigFile()
 
     if (project->isActiveConfig("staticlib")) {
         ProStringList libs;
-        if (!project->isEmpty("QMAKE_INTERNAL_PRL_LIBS"))
-            libs = project->values("QMAKE_INTERNAL_PRL_LIBS");
-        else
-            libs << "QMAKE_LIBS"; //obvious one
+        libs << "QMAKE_LIBS";  // FIXME: this should not be conditional on staticlib
         libs << "QMAKE_LIBS_PRIVATE";
         libs << "QMAKE_LFLAGS_THREAD"; //not sure about this one, but what about things like -pthread?
         t << "Libs.private:";
diff --git a/qmake/generators/unix/unixmake2.cpp b/qmake/generators/unix/unixmake2.cpp
index 88bbb495163..78e9173f11b 100644
--- a/qmake/generators/unix/unixmake2.cpp
+++ b/qmake/generators/unix/unixmake2.cpp
@@ -1479,10 +1479,7 @@ UnixMakefileGenerator::writeLibtoolFile()
 
     t << "# Libraries that this one depends upon.\n";
     ProStringList libs;
-    if(!project->isEmpty("QMAKE_INTERNAL_PRL_LIBS"))
-        libs = project->values("QMAKE_INTERNAL_PRL_LIBS");
-    else
-        libs << "QMAKE_LIBS"; //obvious one
+    libs << "QMAKE_LIBS";
     t << "dependency_libs='";
     for (ProStringList::ConstIterator it = libs.begin(); it != libs.end(); ++it)
         t << fixLibFlags((*it).toKey()).join(' ') << ' ';
diff --git a/qmake/generators/win32/msvc_vcproj.cpp b/qmake/generators/win32/msvc_vcproj.cpp
index 73f0f35d1b1..c984736c780 100644
--- a/qmake/generators/win32/msvc_vcproj.cpp
+++ b/qmake/generators/win32/msvc_vcproj.cpp
@@ -458,8 +458,6 @@ ProStringList VcprojGenerator::collectDependencies(QMakeProject *proj, QHash<QSt
 
                     // Add all unknown libs to the deps
                     QStringList where = QStringList() << "QMAKE_LIBS" << "QMAKE_LIBS_PRIVATE";
-                    if (!tmp_proj.isEmpty("QMAKE_INTERNAL_PRL_LIBS"))
-                    where = tmp_proj.values("QMAKE_INTERNAL_PRL_LIBS").toQStringList();
                     for (QStringList::ConstIterator wit = where.begin();
                         wit != where.end(); ++wit) {
                             const ProStringList &l = tmp_proj.values(ProKey(*wit));