diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 120bc47885..16f8566d45 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -34,3 +34,5 @@ bindings/python/rtspserver.c
 tags
 gst-rtsp.spec
 stamp-h.in
+
+/m4/*m4
diff --git a/Makefile.am b/Makefile.am
index 802e23ab33..441ac000a7 100644
--- a/Makefile.am
+++ b/Makefile.am
@@ -3,7 +3,6 @@ DISTCHECK_CONFIGURE_FLAGS=--enable-gtk-doc
 SUBDIRS = 		\
 	gst \
 	bindings	\
-	m4   		\
 	common \
 	pkgconfig \
 	docs \
@@ -16,7 +15,7 @@ EXTRA_DIST = \
 	AUTHORS COPYING NEWS README RELEASE REQUIREMENTS \
 	gst-rtsp.spec docs/design/gst-rtp-server-design
 
-ACLOCAL_AMFLAGS = -I common/m4 -I m4
+ACLOCAL_AMFLAGS = -I m4 -I common/m4
 
 DISTCLEANFILES = _stdint.h gst-rtsp.spec
 
@@ -36,9 +35,43 @@ endif
 
 # cruft: plugins that have been merged or moved or renamed
 CRUFT_FILES = \
- $(top_builddir)/common/shave \
- $(top_builddir)/common/shave-libtool
+	$(top_builddir)/common/shave \
+	$(top_builddir)/common/shave-libtool \
+	$(top_builddir)/common/m4/codeset.m4 \
+	$(top_builddir)/common/m4/gettext.m4 \
+	$(top_builddir)/common/m4/glibc2.m4 \
+	$(top_builddir)/common/m4/glibc21.m4 \
+	$(top_builddir)/common/m4/iconv.m4 \
+	$(top_builddir)/common/m4/intdiv0.m4 \
+	$(top_builddir)/common/m4/intl.m4 \
+	$(top_builddir)/common/m4/intldir.m4 \
+	$(top_builddir)/common/m4/intlmacosx.m4 \
+	$(top_builddir)/common/m4/intmax.m4 \
+	$(top_builddir)/common/m4/inttypes-pri.m4 \
+	$(top_builddir)/common/m4/inttypes_h.m4 \
+	$(top_builddir)/common/m4/lcmessage.m4 \
+	$(top_builddir)/common/m4/lib-ld.m4 \
+	$(top_builddir)/common/m4/lib-link.m4 \
+	$(top_builddir)/common/m4/lib-prefix.m4 \
+	$(top_builddir)/common/m4/libtool.m4 \
+	$(top_builddir)/common/m4/lock.m4 \
+	$(top_builddir)/common/m4/longlong.m4 \
+	$(top_builddir)/common/m4/ltoptions.m4 \
+	$(top_builddir)/common/m4/ltsugar.m4 \
+	$(top_builddir)/common/m4/ltversion.m4 \
+	$(top_builddir)/common/m4/lt~obsolete.m4 \
+	$(top_builddir)/common/m4/nls.m4 \
+	$(top_builddir)/common/m4/po.m4 \
+	$(top_builddir)/common/m4/printf-posix.m4 \
+	$(top_builddir)/common/m4/progtest.m4 \
+	$(top_builddir)/common/m4/size_max.m4 \
+	$(top_builddir)/common/m4/stdint_h.m4 \
+	$(top_builddir)/common/m4/uintmax_t.m4 \
+	$(top_builddir)/common/m4/visibility.m4 \
+	$(top_builddir)/common/m4/wchar_t.m4 \
+	$(top_builddir)/common/m4/wint_t.m4 \
+	$(top_builddir)/common/m4/xsize.m4
 
 include $(top_srcdir)/common/cruft.mak
 
-all-local: check-cruft
\ No newline at end of file
+all-local: check-cruft
diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index 6cc68d7262..f007fc413f 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -52,6 +52,7 @@ AS_AUTOTOOLS_ALTERNATE
 
 dnl Add parameters for aclocal
 AC_SUBST(ACLOCAL_AMFLAGS, "-I m4 -I common/m4")
+AC_CONFIG_MACRO_DIR([m4])
 
 dnl set up gettext
 dnl the version check needs to stay here because autopoint greps for it
@@ -282,7 +283,6 @@ Makefile
 gst-rtsp.spec
 common/Makefile
 common/m4/Makefile
-m4/Makefile
 gst/Makefile
 gst/rtsp-server/Makefile
 examples/Makefile
diff --git a/m4/Makefile.am b/m4/Makefile.am
deleted file mode 100644
index 226cc479db..0000000000
--- a/m4/Makefile.am
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,18 +0,0 @@
-EXTRA_DIST = \
-	codeset.m4
-	gettext.m4
-	glibc21.m4 \
-	iconv.m4 \
-	intdiv0.m4 \
-	inttypes-pri.m4 \
-	nttypes.m4 \
-	inttypes_h.m4 \
-	isc-posix.m4 \
-	lcmessage.m4 \
-	lib-ld.m4 \
-	lib-link.m4 \
-	lib-prefix.m4 \
-	progtest.m4 \
-	stdint_h.m4 \
-	uintmax_t.m4 \
-	ulonglong.m4
diff --git a/m4/codeset.m4 b/m4/codeset.m4
deleted file mode 100644
index 59535ebcff..0000000000
--- a/m4/codeset.m4
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,23 +0,0 @@
-# codeset.m4 serial AM1 (gettext-0.10.40)
-dnl Copyright (C) 2000-2002 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
-dnl This file is free software, distributed under the terms of the GNU
-dnl General Public License.  As a special exception to the GNU General
-dnl Public License, this file may be distributed as part of a program
-dnl that contains a configuration script generated by Autoconf, under
-dnl the same distribution terms as the rest of that program.
-
-dnl From Bruno Haible.
-
-AC_DEFUN([AM_LANGINFO_CODESET],
-[
-  AC_CACHE_CHECK([for nl_langinfo and CODESET], am_cv_langinfo_codeset,
-    [AC_TRY_LINK([#include <langinfo.h>],
-      [char* cs = nl_langinfo(CODESET);],
-      am_cv_langinfo_codeset=yes,
-      am_cv_langinfo_codeset=no)
-    ])
-  if test $am_cv_langinfo_codeset = yes; then
-    AC_DEFINE(HAVE_LANGINFO_CODESET, 1,
-      [Define if you have <langinfo.h> and nl_langinfo(CODESET).])
-  fi
-])