diff --git a/icu4c/source/common/Makefile.in b/icu4c/source/common/Makefile.in
index f55f9457b85..c95f1b6aa80 100644
--- a/icu4c/source/common/Makefile.in
+++ b/icu4c/source/common/Makefile.in
@@ -196,6 +196,11 @@ endif
 ifneq ($(ENABLE_SHARED),)
 $(SHARED_OBJECT): $(OBJECTS) $(SO_VERSION_DATA)
 	$(SHLIB.cc) $(LD_SONAME) $(OUTOPT)$@ $^ $(LIBS)
+ifeq ($(ENABLE_RPATH),YES)
+ifneq ($(wildcard $(libdir)/$(MIDDLE_SO_TARGET)),)
+	$(warning RPATH warning: --enable-rpath means test programs may use existing $(libdir)/$(MIDDLE_SO_TARGET))
+endif
+endif
 
 ifeq ($(OS390BATCH),1)
 $(BATCH_TARGET):$(OBJECTS)
diff --git a/icu4c/source/config/Makefile.inc.in b/icu4c/source/config/Makefile.inc.in
index 773a4bd4354..7a4496ef3a3 100644
--- a/icu4c/source/config/Makefile.inc.in
+++ b/icu4c/source/config/Makefile.inc.in
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 ## -*-makefile-*-
 #******************************************************************************
-#   Copyright (C) 1999-2010, International Business Machines
+#   Copyright (C) 1999-2011, International Business Machines
 #   Corporation and others.  All Rights Reserved.
 #******************************************************************************
 # This Makefile.inc is designed to be included into projects which make use
@@ -63,13 +63,18 @@ RPATHLDFLAGS = $(LD_RPATH)$(LD_RPATH_PRE)$(libdir)
 endif
 
 #SH## icu-config version of above 'if':
-#SH#case "$ENABLE_RPATH" in 
-#SH#     [yY]*)
+#SH#case "x$ENABLE_RPATH" in 
+#SH#     x[yY]*)
 #SH# 	ENABLE_RPATH=YES
 #SH# 	RPATHLDFLAGS="${LD_RPATH}${LD_RPATH_PRE}${libdir}"
 #SH# 	;;
 #SH#
-#SH#     [nN]*)
+#SH#     x[nN]*)
+#SH# 	ENABLE_RPATH=NO
+#SH# 	RPATHLDFLAGS=""
+#SH# 	;;
+#SH#
+#SH#     x)
 #SH# 	ENABLE_RPATH=NO
 #SH# 	RPATHLDFLAGS=""
 #SH# 	;;
diff --git a/icu4c/source/i18n/Makefile.in b/icu4c/source/i18n/Makefile.in
index f326e3b9a15..b01468ff602 100644
--- a/icu4c/source/i18n/Makefile.in
+++ b/icu4c/source/i18n/Makefile.in
@@ -168,6 +168,11 @@ endif
 ifneq ($(ENABLE_SHARED),)
 $(SHARED_OBJECT): $(OBJECTS) $(SO_VERSION_DATA)
 	$(SHLIB.cc) $(LD_SONAME) $(OUTOPT)$@ $^ $(LIBS)
+ifeq ($(ENABLE_RPATH),YES)
+ifneq ($(wildcard $(libdir)/$(MIDDLE_SO_TARGET)),)
+	$(warning RPATH warning: --enable-rpath means test programs may use existing $(libdir)/$(MIDDLE_SO_TARGET))
+endif
+endif
 
 ifeq ($(OS390BATCH),1)
 $(BATCH_TARGET):$(OBJECTS)
diff --git a/icu4c/source/io/Makefile.in b/icu4c/source/io/Makefile.in
index 130b8776445..e316610d3b6 100644
--- a/icu4c/source/io/Makefile.in
+++ b/icu4c/source/io/Makefile.in
@@ -146,6 +146,11 @@ endif
 ifneq ($(ENABLE_SHARED),)
 $(SHARED_OBJECT): $(OBJECTS) $(SO_VERSION_DATA)
 	$(SHLIB.cc) $(LD_SONAME) $(OUTOPT)$@ $^ $(LIBS)
+ifeq ($(ENABLE_RPATH),YES)
+ifneq ($(wildcard $(libdir)/$(MIDDLE_SO_TARGET)),)
+	$(warning RPATH warning: --enable-rpath means test programs may use existing $(libdir)/$(MIDDLE_SO_TARGET))
+endif
+endif
 
 ifeq ($(OS390BATCH),1)
 $(BATCH_TARGET):$(OBJECTS)
diff --git a/icu4c/source/layout/Makefile.in b/icu4c/source/layout/Makefile.in
index 6d722e0b75e..c59f5a4cd84 100644
--- a/icu4c/source/layout/Makefile.in
+++ b/icu4c/source/layout/Makefile.in
@@ -216,6 +216,11 @@ endif
 ifneq ($(ENABLE_SHARED),)
 $(SHARED_OBJECT): $(OBJECTS) $(SO_VERSION_DATA)
 	$(SHLIB.cc) $(LD_SONAME) $(OUTOPT)$@ $^ $(LIBS)
+ifeq ($(ENABLE_RPATH),YES)
+ifneq ($(wildcard $(libdir)/$(MIDDLE_SO_TARGET)),)
+	$(warning RPATH warning: --enable-rpath means test programs may use existing $(libdir)/$(MIDDLE_SO_TARGET))
+endif
+endif
 
 ifeq ($(OS390BATCH),1)
 $(BATCH_TARGET):$(OBJECTS)
diff --git a/icu4c/source/layoutex/Makefile.in b/icu4c/source/layoutex/Makefile.in
index 3f11c87a950..6fd49a1e77d 100644
--- a/icu4c/source/layoutex/Makefile.in
+++ b/icu4c/source/layoutex/Makefile.in
@@ -147,6 +147,11 @@ endif
 ifneq ($(ENABLE_SHARED),)
 $(SHARED_OBJECT): $(OBJECTS) $(SO_VERSION_DATA)
 	$(SHLIB.cc) $(LD_SONAME) $(OUTOPT)$@ $^ $(LIBS)
+ifeq ($(ENABLE_RPATH),YES)
+ifneq ($(wildcard $(libdir)/$(MIDDLE_SO_TARGET)),)
+	$(warning RPATH warning: --enable-rpath means test programs may use existing $(libdir)/$(MIDDLE_SO_TARGET))
+endif
+endif
 
 ifeq ($(OS390BATCH),1)
 $(BATCH_TARGET):$(OBJECTS)
diff --git a/icu4c/source/stubdata/Makefile.in b/icu4c/source/stubdata/Makefile.in
index ab09daf0ba3..7f8e20cac2d 100644
--- a/icu4c/source/stubdata/Makefile.in
+++ b/icu4c/source/stubdata/Makefile.in
@@ -125,6 +125,11 @@ endif
 ifneq ($(ENABLE_SHARED),)
 $(SHARED_OBJECT): $(OBJECTS)
 	$(SHLIB.c) $(LD_SONAME) $(OUTOPT)$@ $^ $(LIBS)
+ifeq ($(ENABLE_RPATH),YES)
+ifneq ($(wildcard $(libdir)/$(MIDDLE_SO_TARGET)),)
+	$(warning RPATH warning: --enable-rpath means test programs may use existing $(libdir)/$(MIDDLE_SO_TARGET))
+endif
+endif
 
 ifeq ($(OS390BATCH),1)
 $(BATCH_STUB_TARGET): $(OBJECTS)
diff --git a/icu4c/source/tools/ctestfw/Makefile.in b/icu4c/source/tools/ctestfw/Makefile.in
index 3df9af6ed24..a134fbb3dfb 100644
--- a/icu4c/source/tools/ctestfw/Makefile.in
+++ b/icu4c/source/tools/ctestfw/Makefile.in
@@ -123,6 +123,11 @@ endif
 ifneq ($(ENABLE_SHARED),)
 $(SHARED_OBJECT): $(OBJECTS)
 	$(SHLIB.cc) $(LD_SONAME) $(OUTOPT)$@ $^ $(LIBS)
+ifeq ($(ENABLE_RPATH),YES)
+ifneq ($(wildcard $(libdir)/$(MIDDLE_SO_TARGET)),)
+	$(warning RPATH warning: --enable-rpath means test programs may use existing $(libdir)/$(MIDDLE_SO_TARGET))
+endif
+endif
 endif
 
 ifeq (,$(MAKECMDGOALS))
diff --git a/icu4c/source/tools/toolutil/Makefile.in b/icu4c/source/tools/toolutil/Makefile.in
index abada61250a..e613a682448 100644
--- a/icu4c/source/tools/toolutil/Makefile.in
+++ b/icu4c/source/tools/toolutil/Makefile.in
@@ -129,6 +129,11 @@ endif
 ifneq ($(ENABLE_SHARED),)
 $(SHARED_OBJECT): $(OBJECTS)
 	$(SHLIB.cc) $(LD_SONAME) $(OUTOPT)$@ $^ $(LIBS)
+ifeq ($(ENABLE_RPATH),YES)
+ifneq ($(wildcard $(libdir)/$(MIDDLE_SO_TARGET)),)
+	$(warning RPATH warning: --enable-rpath means test programs may use existing $(libdir)/$(MIDDLE_SO_TARGET))
+endif
+endif
 endif
 
 ifeq (,$(MAKECMDGOALS))