diff --git a/rsyslog-8.4.0-json-c-0.12-configure.patch b/rsyslog-8.4.0-json-c-0.12-configure.patch
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..bc00746
--- /dev/null
+++ b/rsyslog-8.4.0-json-c-0.12-configure.patch
@@ -0,0 +1,38 @@
+From: Andreas Stieger <andreas.stieger@gmx.de>
+Subject: [PATCH] fix build with json-c 0.12 if it provides a compatibility json.pc
+Date: Mon, 22 Sep 2014 20:40:53 +0100
+Upstream: submitting
+References: 
+
+json-c on openSUSE provides a compatibility pkg-config for "json".
+The autoconf check find it first, assuming it does not provide 
+the function json_tokener_error_desc. Check for availability of 
+function using AC_CHECK_FUNCS instead.
+
+---
+ configure.ac |    6 ++++--
+ 1 file changed, 4 insertions(+), 2 deletions(-)
+
+Index: rsyslog-8.4.0/configure.ac
+===================================================================
+--- rsyslog-8.4.0.orig/configure.ac	2014-08-18 10:41:34.000000000 +0100
++++ rsyslog-8.4.0/configure.ac	2014-09-22 20:34:18.000000000 +0100
+@@ -32,14 +32,16 @@ PKG_PROG_PKG_CONFIG
+ PKG_CHECK_MODULES(LIBESTR, libestr >= 0.1.9)
+ PKG_CHECK_MODULES(LIBLOGGING_STDLOG, liblogging-stdlog >= 1.0.3)
+ PKG_CHECK_MODULES([JSON_C], [json],, [
+-	PKG_CHECK_MODULES([JSON_C], [json-c],
+-	       [AC_DEFINE([HAVE_JSON_TOKENER_ERROR_DESC], [1], [we have the newer JSON-C API])])
++	PKG_CHECK_MODULES([JSON_C], [json-c],,)
+ ])
+ 
+ # if int64 is supported, use it
+ AC_CHECK_LIB(json-c, json_object_new_object,,)
+ AC_CHECK_FUNCS(json_object_new_int64,,)
+ 
++# look for newer API
++AC_CHECK_FUNCS(json_tokener_error_desc,,)
++
+ case "${host}" in
+   *-*-linux*)
+     AC_DEFINE([OS_LINUX], [1], [Indicator for a Linux OS])
diff --git a/rsyslog-8.4.0-json-c-0.12.patch b/rsyslog-8.4.0-json-c-0.12.patch
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..46f8692
--- /dev/null
+++ b/rsyslog-8.4.0-json-c-0.12.patch
@@ -0,0 +1,34 @@
+From: Rainer Gerhards <rgerhards@adiscon.com>
+Date:   Tue Aug 19 11:33:41 2014 +0200
+Subject: build failure on systems which don't have json_tokener_errors
+Upstream: Committed
+References: https://github.com/rsyslog/rsyslog/commit/6b47dd542d07ed557f02af9970d1004eb262e1c1
+
+    bugfix: build failure on systems which don't have json_tokener_errors
+    
+    Older versions of json-c need to use a different API (which don't exists
+    on newer versions, unfortunately...)
+    Thanks to Thomas D. for reporting this problem.
+
+Build error:
+[   77s] msg.c: In function 'MsgSetPropsViaJSON':
+[   77s] msg.c:4077:14: error: 'json_tokener_errors' undeclared (first use in this function)
+[   77s]      errMsg = json_tokener_errors[err];
+
+diff --git a/runtime/msg.c b/runtime/msg.c
+index 66c3b7b..81b13f9 100644
+--- a/runtime/msg.c
++++ b/runtime/msg.c
+@@ -4074,7 +4074,11 @@ MsgSetPropsViaJSON(msg_t *__restrict__ const pMsg, const uchar *__restrict__ con
+ 
+ 			err = tokener->err;
+ 			if(err != json_tokener_continue)
+-				errMsg = json_tokener_errors[err];
++#				if HAVE_JSON_TOKENER_ERROR_DESC
++					errMsg = json_tokener_error_desc(err);
++#				else
++					errMsg = json_tokener_errors[err];
++#				endif
+ 			else
+ 				errMsg = "Unterminated input";
+ 		} else if(!json_object_is_type(json, json_type_object))
diff --git a/rsyslog.changes b/rsyslog.changes
index cb90940..b906a16 100644
--- a/rsyslog.changes
+++ b/rsyslog.changes
@@ -1,3 +1,12 @@
+-------------------------------------------------------------------
+Mon Sep 22 19:50:42 UTC 2014 - andreas.stieger@gmx.de
+
+- fix build with json-c 0.12 with upstream patch
+  rsyslog-8.4.0-json-c-0.12.patch
+- json-c provides a compatibility pkg-config for "json". Add 
+  rsyslog-8.4.0-json-c-0.12-configure.patch to check for the
+  required function directly.
+
 -------------------------------------------------------------------
 Wed Sep 17 09:40:40 UTC 2014 - wagner-thomas@gmx.at
 
diff --git a/rsyslog.spec b/rsyslog.spec
index 073ec1f..95fd597 100644
--- a/rsyslog.spec
+++ b/rsyslog.spec
@@ -90,6 +90,11 @@ BuildRequires:  pkgconfig(libsystemd-journal) >= 197
 Requires(pre):  %insserv_prereq %fillup_prereq /etc/init.d/syslog
 BuildRequires:  klogd
 %endif
+# for Patch3 rsyslog-8.4.0-json-c-0.12-configure.patch
+BuildRequires:  autoconf >= 2.61
+BuildRequires:  automake
+BuildRequires:  libtool
+#
 BuildRequires:  bison
 BuildRequires:  flex
 BuildRequires:  openssl-devel >= 0.9.7
@@ -186,6 +191,8 @@ Source15:       rsyslog.firewall
 # PATCH-FIX-OPENSUSE rsyslog-unit.patch crrodriguez@opensuse.org Customize upstream systemd unit for openSUSE needs.
 Patch0:         rsyslog-unit.patch
 Patch1:         rsyslog-8.4.0_implicit_declaration.patch
+Patch2:         rsyslog-8.4.0-json-c-0.12.patch
+Patch3:         rsyslog-8.4.0-json-c-0.12-configure.patch
 
 # this is a dirty hack since % dir does only work for the specified directory and nothing above
 # but I want to be able to switch this to /etc/apparmor.d once the profiles received more testing
@@ -482,6 +489,8 @@ This module provides support for ZeroMQ.
 %setup -q -n %{name}-%{upstream_version} -a 14
 %patch0 -p1
 %patch1 -p1
+%patch2 -p1
+%patch3 -p1
 #
 %if %{with systemd}
 for file in rsyslog-service-prepare; do
@@ -493,6 +502,8 @@ done
 %endif
 
 %build
+# for Patch3 rsyslog-8.4.0-json-c-0.12-configure.patch
+autoreconf -fiv
 export CFLAGS="$RPM_OPT_FLAGS -fno-strict-aliasing -W -Wall -I../grammar -I../../grammar"
 # needs java
 #        --enable-gui            \