diff --git a/README b/README
index caa6c7db..2e742710 100644
--- a/README
+++ b/README
@@ -39,6 +39,9 @@ To uninstall Exiv2 from a UNIX-like system, run:
 
     $ make uninstall
 
+To build a commercial version of the Exiv2 library, see also section 
+"Commercial version" at the end of this file.
+
 
 Dependencies
 ============
@@ -130,4 +133,20 @@ for more details.
 
 You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
 along with this program; if not, write to the Free Software
-Foundation, Inc., 51 Franklin Street, 5th Floor, Boston, MA 02110-1301 USA.
+Foundation, Inc., 51 Franklin Street, 5th Floor, Boston, 
+MA 02110-1301 USA.
+
+
+Commercial version
+==================
+
+If you have a commercial license, you must disable NLS support, 
+conversion of UCS2 characters in XP tags and the conversion of
+Exif.Nikon3.LensData values to lens names to build a commercial 
+version of the Exiv2 library.
+
+To do this on Windows, compile the library with the preprocessor
+symbol EXV_COMMERCIAL_VERSION defined. See the file src/exv_msvc.h
+for details. 
+On UNIX-like systems, run the configure script with the options
+--enable-commercial --disable-nls --disable-printucs2 --disable-lensdata
diff --git a/config/config.mk.in b/config/config.mk.in
index 281046a2..96d2eff9 100644
--- a/config/config.mk.in
+++ b/config/config.mk.in
@@ -30,6 +30,8 @@
 # **********************************************************************
 # Exiv2 version for use with libtool (-version-info argument)
 EXIV2_LTVERSION = @EXIV2_LTVERSION@
+# Compile for use with a commercial license
+COMMERCIAL_VERSION = @COMMERCIAL_VERSION@
 
 # **********************************************************************
 # Libtool
@@ -52,6 +54,9 @@ CXXCPP = @CXXCPP@
 
 # Preprocessor flags
 CPPFLAGS = -I. @CPPFLAGS@ -DEXV_LOCALEDIR=\"$(localedir)\"
+ifeq ($(COMMERCIAL_VERSION),yes)
+	CPPFLAGS += -DEXV_COMMERCIAL_VERSION=1
+endif
 
 # Linker flags and libraries
 LDFLAGS = @LDFLAGS@
diff --git a/config/configure.ac b/config/configure.ac
index f5fe57c6..8a9355f7 100644
--- a/config/configure.ac
+++ b/config/configure.ac
@@ -132,6 +132,13 @@ else
 fi
 AC_SUBST(EXV_LIB_STATIC)
 
+AC_MSG_CHECKING([whether to compile a commercial version of the Exiv2 library])
+AC_ARG_ENABLE(commercial,
+    [  --enable-commercial     compile with the EXV_COMMERCIAL_VERSION symbol set ],
+    COMMERCIAL_VERSION=$enableval, COMMERCIAL_VERSION=no)
+AC_MSG_RESULT($COMMERCIAL_VERSION)
+AC_SUBST(COMMERCIAL_VERSION,$COMMERCIAL_VERSION)
+
 # ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 # Create output files.
 # ---------------------------------------------------------------------------