diff --git a/package/pkg-generic.mk b/package/pkg-generic.mk
index fa68f14ca0..2508d75cce 100644
--- a/package/pkg-generic.mk
+++ b/package/pkg-generic.mk
@@ -749,12 +749,10 @@ $(2)_MANIFEST_LICENSE_FILES = $$($(2)_LICENSE_FILES)
 endif
 $(2)_MANIFEST_LICENSE_FILES ?= not saved
 
-# If the package declares _LICENSE_FILES, we need to extract it,
-# for overriden, local or normal remote packages alike, whether
-# we want to redistribute it or not.
-ifneq ($$($(2)_LICENSE_FILES),)
+# We need to extract and patch a package to be able to retrieve its
+# license files (if any) and the list of patches applied to it (if
+# any).
 $(1)-legal-info: $(1)-patch
-endif
 
 # We only save the sources of packages we want to redistribute, that are
 # non-overriden (local or true override).
@@ -810,6 +808,13 @@ endif
 	$$(Q)support/scripts/hardlink-or-copy \
 		$$(DL_DIR)/$$($(2)_ACTUAL_SOURCE_TARBALL) \
 		$$($(2)_REDIST_SOURCES_DIR)
+# Save patches and generate the series file
+	$$(Q)while read f; do \
+		support/scripts/hardlink-or-copy \
+			$$$${f} \
+			$$($(2)_REDIST_SOURCES_DIR) || exit 1; \
+		printf "%s\n" "$$$${f##*/}" >>$$($(2)_REDIST_SOURCES_DIR)/series || exit 1; \
+	done <$$($(2)_DIR)/.applied_patches_list
 endif # redistribute
 
 endif # other packages
diff --git a/support/legal-info/README.header b/support/legal-info/README.header
index d07c45d912..418de14588 100644
--- a/support/legal-info/README.header
+++ b/support/legal-info/README.header
@@ -14,10 +14,11 @@ This material is composed of the following items.
    compiled programs.
    Note: this may have not been saved due to technical limitations, you may
    need to collect it manually.
- * The source code for all packages; this has been saved in the sources/
-   subdirectory (except for the non-redistributable packages, which have not
-   been saved); patches applied to some packages by Buildroot are included in
-   the Buildroot sources and were not duplicated in the sources/ subdirectory.
+ * The original source code for all packages; this has been saved in the
+   sources/ subdirectory (except for the non-redistributable packages, which
+   have not been saved). Patches that were applied are also saved, along
+   with a file named 'series' that lists the patches in the order they were
+   applied.
  * A manifest file listing the configured packages and related information.
  * The license text of the packages; they have been saved in the licenses/
    subdirectory.