diff --git a/tools/release/c/bomfix.py b/tools/release/c/bomfix.py
deleted file mode 100644
index 300fc629e5f..00000000000
--- a/tools/release/c/bomfix.py
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,115 +0,0 @@
-#!/usr/bin/python -B
-# -*- coding: utf-8 -*-
-
-#
-# Copyright (C) 2017 and later: Unicode, Inc. and others.
-# License & terms of use: http://www.unicode.org/copyright.html
-#
-# Copyright © 2016 and later: Unicode, Inc. and others.
-# License & terms of use: http://www.unicode.org/copyright.html
-# Copyright (C) 2011 IBM Corporation and Others. All Rights Reserved.
-#
-# Run this like so:
-#  cd /path/to/ICU
-#  python /path/to/thisscript/bomfix.py
-#
-# it will fixup any files that have a mime-type of "utf-8" but no BOM.
-
-import os
-import codecs
-import subprocess
-
-print "Fixing bom in .\n"
-
-ctx = None
-
-tree = os.walk(".")
-
-nots=0
-notutf8=0
-noprops=0
-utf8=0
-fixed=0
-tfiles=0
-bom=codecs.BOM_UTF8
-
-
-# my own rewrite
-def my_propget(prop, path, ignored_rev, ignored_recurs, ignored_ctx):
-    "function_docstring"
-    try:
-        return subprocess.check_output(["svn", "pg", prop, path], stderr=subprocess.STDOUT)
-    except subprocess.CalledProcessError as cpe:
-        # now decode the error
-        if "E200005" in cpe.output:
-            # not under version control
-            return None
-        if "W200017" in cpe.output:
-            # property not found
-            return None
-        else:
-            print "On " + fp + ":\n" + cpe.output + "\n"
-            print "This error wasn't recognized by bomfix, sorry."
-            raise cpe
-
-for ent in tree:
-    (path,dirs,files) = ent
-    if(path.find("/.svn") != -1):
-        continue
-    for file in files:
-        tfiles=tfiles+1
-        revision = None
-        # use relative path
-        fp = path + "/" + file
-        #print "testing " + fp
-        props = my_propget("svn:mime-type", fp, revision, 0, ctx)
-        if not props:
-            noprops = noprops + 1
-            continue
-
-        if (fp == "./LICENSE"):
-            print "Skipping: %s" % fp
-            continue
-
-        type = props
-
-        # ends with \n because of process
-        if (not type == "text/plain;charset=utf-8\n"):
-            #print fp + ": delta " + type
-            notutf8 = notutf8 + 1
-            continue
-
-        # fp is utf-8
-        utf8=utf8+1
-
-        f = open(fp, 'rb')
-        bytes=f.read(3)
-        if not bytes:
-            print fp + ": could not read 3 bytes"
-            continue
-        elif (bytes == bom):
-            #print fp + ": OK"
-            continue
-
-        f.seek(0)
-
-        os.rename(fp,fp+".tmp")
-        o=open(fp,'wb')
-        o.write(bom)
-        while(1):
-            bytes = f.read(2048)
-            if bytes:
-                o.write(bytes)
-            else:
-                break
-        o.close()
-        f.close()
-        os.remove(fp+".tmp")
-        fixed=fixed+1
-
-
-        print fp
-            
-
-
-print "%d files, %d not under svn, %d with no props, %d not utf8: %d utf8, %d fixed\n" % (tfiles,nots,noprops,notutf8,utf8,fixed)