diff --git a/codec-http/src/main/java/io/netty/handler/codec/http/HttpObjectEncoder.java b/codec-http/src/main/java/io/netty/handler/codec/http/HttpObjectEncoder.java
index e225f7c2e0..7ebfd10782 100755
--- a/codec-http/src/main/java/io/netty/handler/codec/http/HttpObjectEncoder.java
+++ b/codec-http/src/main/java/io/netty/handler/codec/http/HttpObjectEncoder.java
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@ import io.netty.channel.ChannelHandlerContext;
 import io.netty.channel.FileRegion;
 import io.netty.handler.codec.MessageToMessageEncoder;
 import io.netty.util.CharsetUtil;
+import io.netty.util.ReferenceCountUtil;
 import io.netty.util.internal.StringUtil;
 
 import java.util.Iterator;
@@ -109,10 +110,12 @@ public abstract class HttpObjectEncoder<H extends HttpMessage> extends MessageTo
         //     ch.write(Unpooled.EMPTY_BUFFER).addListener(ChannelFutureListener.CLOSE);
         //
         // See https://github.com/netty/netty/issues/2983 for more information.
-
-        if (msg instanceof ByteBuf && !((ByteBuf) msg).isReadable()) {
-            out.add(EMPTY_BUFFER);
-            return;
+        if (msg instanceof ByteBuf) {
+            final ByteBuf potentialEmptyBuf = (ByteBuf) msg;
+            if (!potentialEmptyBuf.isReadable()) {
+                out.add(potentialEmptyBuf.retain());
+                return;
+            }
         }
 
         if (msg instanceof HttpContent || msg instanceof ByteBuf || msg instanceof FileRegion) {
@@ -210,7 +213,7 @@ public abstract class HttpObjectEncoder<H extends HttpMessage> extends MessageTo
         } else if (contentLength == 0) {
             // Need to produce some output otherwise an
             // IllegalStateException will be thrown
-            out.add(EMPTY_BUFFER);
+            out.add(ReferenceCountUtil.retain(msg));
         }
     }
 
diff --git a/codec-http/src/test/java/io/netty/handler/codec/http/HttpRequestEncoderTest.java b/codec-http/src/test/java/io/netty/handler/codec/http/HttpRequestEncoderTest.java
index 548566b24b..6a2ad13e60 100644
--- a/codec-http/src/test/java/io/netty/handler/codec/http/HttpRequestEncoderTest.java
+++ b/codec-http/src/test/java/io/netty/handler/codec/http/HttpRequestEncoderTest.java
@@ -17,13 +17,20 @@ package io.netty.handler.codec.http;
 
 import io.netty.buffer.ByteBuf;
 import io.netty.buffer.Unpooled;
+import io.netty.channel.embedded.EmbeddedChannel;
+import io.netty.util.IllegalReferenceCountException;
 import org.junit.Test;
 
 import java.nio.ByteBuffer;
 import java.nio.ByteOrder;
 import java.nio.charset.Charset;
+import java.util.concurrent.ExecutionException;
 
-import static org.junit.Assert.*;
+import static org.hamcrest.Matchers.instanceOf;
+import static org.hamcrest.Matchers.is;
+import static org.junit.Assert.assertEquals;
+import static org.junit.Assert.assertThat;
+import static org.junit.Assert.fail;
 
 /**
  */
@@ -122,4 +129,29 @@ public class HttpRequestEncoderTest {
             buffer.release();
         }
     }
+
+    @Test
+    public void testEmptyReleasedBufferShouldNotWriteEmptyBufferToChannel() throws Exception {
+        HttpRequestEncoder encoder = new HttpRequestEncoder();
+        EmbeddedChannel channel = new EmbeddedChannel(encoder);
+        ByteBuf buf = Unpooled.buffer();
+        buf.release();
+        try {
+            channel.writeAndFlush(buf).get();
+            fail();
+        } catch (ExecutionException e) {
+            assertThat(e.getCause().getCause(), is(instanceOf(IllegalReferenceCountException.class)));
+        }
+        channel.finishAndReleaseAll();
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    public void testEmptydBufferShouldPassThrough() throws Exception {
+        HttpRequestEncoder encoder = new HttpRequestEncoder();
+        EmbeddedChannel channel = new EmbeddedChannel(encoder);
+        ByteBuf buffer = Unpooled.buffer();
+        channel.writeAndFlush(buffer).get();
+        channel.finishAndReleaseAll();
+        assertEquals(0, buffer.refCnt());
+    }
 }
diff --git a/codec/src/main/java/io/netty/handler/codec/MessageAggregator.java b/codec/src/main/java/io/netty/handler/codec/MessageAggregator.java
index 2bede688bd..2cdb880c99 100644
--- a/codec/src/main/java/io/netty/handler/codec/MessageAggregator.java
+++ b/codec/src/main/java/io/netty/handler/codec/MessageAggregator.java
@@ -241,7 +241,7 @@ public abstract class MessageAggregator<I, S, C extends ByteBufHolder, O extends
 
             if (m instanceof DecoderResultProvider && !((DecoderResultProvider) m).decoderResult().isSuccess()) {
                 O aggregated;
-                if (m instanceof ByteBufHolder && ((ByteBufHolder) m).content().isReadable()) {
+                if (m instanceof ByteBufHolder) {
                     aggregated = beginAggregation(m, ((ByteBufHolder) m).content().retain());
                 } else {
                     aggregated = beginAggregation(m, EMPTY_BUFFER);