diff --git a/src/net/java/sip/communicator/impl/protocol/irc/FormattedTextBuilder.java b/src/net/java/sip/communicator/impl/protocol/irc/FormattedTextBuilder.java
index ed36cb027..18d750713 100644
--- a/src/net/java/sip/communicator/impl/protocol/irc/FormattedTextBuilder.java
+++ b/src/net/java/sip/communicator/impl/protocol/irc/FormattedTextBuilder.java
@@ -28,6 +28,9 @@ public class FormattedTextBuilder
     /**
      * Append a string of text.
      *
+     * Make sure that the text is safe for your purposes, as it is appended
+     * without further modifications.
+     *
      * @param text string of text
      */
     public void append(final String text)
@@ -38,6 +41,9 @@ public void append(final String text)
     /**
      * Append a character.
      *
+     * Make sure that the character is safe for your purposes, as it is appended
+     * without further modifications.
+     *
      * @param c character
      */
     public void append(final char c)
diff --git a/src/net/java/sip/communicator/impl/protocol/irc/IrcStack.java b/src/net/java/sip/communicator/impl/protocol/irc/IrcStack.java
index fa1446fdb..28379455c 100644
--- a/src/net/java/sip/communicator/impl/protocol/irc/IrcStack.java
+++ b/src/net/java/sip/communicator/impl/protocol/irc/IrcStack.java
@@ -1259,7 +1259,8 @@ public void onError(final ErrorMessage msg)
         public void onUserPrivMessage(final UserPrivMsg msg)
         {
             final String user = msg.getSource().getNick();
-            final String text = Utils.formatMessage(Utils.parseIrcMessage(msg.getText()));
+            final String text =
+                Utils.styleAsMessage(Utils.parseIrcMessage(msg.getText()));
             final MessageIrcImpl message =
                 new MessageIrcImpl(text,
                     OperationSetBasicInstantMessaging.HTML_MIME_TYPE,
@@ -1302,7 +1303,7 @@ public void onUserNotice(final UserNotice msg)
             // Jitsi set up.
             final String user = msg.getSource().getNick();
             final String text =
-                Utils.formatNotice(Utils.parseIrcMessage(msg.getText()), user);
+                Utils.styleAsNotice(Utils.parseIrcMessage(msg.getText()), user);
             final MessageIrcImpl message =
                 new MessageIrcImpl(text,
                     OperationSetBasicInstantMessaging.HTML_MIME_TYPE,
@@ -1326,7 +1327,7 @@ public void onUserAction(final UserActionMsg msg)
         {
             final String user = msg.getSource().getNick();
             final String text =
-                Utils.formatAction(Utils.parseIrcMessage(msg.getText()), user);
+                Utils.styleAsAction(Utils.parseIrcMessage(msg.getText()), user);
             final MessageIrcImpl message =
                 new MessageIrcImpl(text,
                     OperationSetBasicInstantMessaging.HTML_MIME_TYPE,
@@ -1707,7 +1708,8 @@ public void onChannelMessage(final ChannelPrivMsg msg)
                 return;
             }
 
-            String text = Utils.formatMessage(Utils.parseIrcMessage(msg.getText()));
+            String text =
+                Utils.styleAsMessage(Utils.parseIrcMessage(msg.getText()));
             MessageIrcImpl message =
                 new MessageIrcImpl(text, "text/html", "UTF-8", null);
             ChatRoomMemberIrcImpl member =
@@ -1736,7 +1738,8 @@ public void onChannelAction(final ChannelActionMsg msg)
                 new ChatRoomMemberIrcImpl(IrcStack.this.provider,
                     this.chatroom, userNick, ChatRoomMemberRole.MEMBER);
             String text =
-                Utils.formatAction(Utils.parseIrcMessage(msg.getText()), userNick);
+                Utils.styleAsAction(Utils.parseIrcMessage(msg.getText()),
+                    userNick);
             MessageIrcImpl message =
                 new MessageIrcImpl(text, "text/html", "UTF-8", null);
             this.chatroom.fireMessageReceivedEvent(message, member, new Date(),
@@ -1761,7 +1764,8 @@ public void onChannelNotice(final ChannelNotice msg)
                 new ChatRoomMemberIrcImpl(IrcStack.this.provider,
                     this.chatroom, userNick, ChatRoomMemberRole.MEMBER);
             final String text =
-                Utils.formatNotice(Utils.parseIrcMessage(msg.getText()), userNick);
+                Utils.styleAsNotice(Utils.parseIrcMessage(msg.getText()),
+                    userNick);
             final MessageIrcImpl message =
                 new MessageIrcImpl(text, "text/html", "UTF-8", null);
             this.chatroom.fireMessageReceivedEvent(message, member, new Date(),
diff --git a/src/net/java/sip/communicator/impl/protocol/irc/Utils.java b/src/net/java/sip/communicator/impl/protocol/irc/Utils.java
index 00550aabb..d033947d5 100644
--- a/src/net/java/sip/communicator/impl/protocol/irc/Utils.java
+++ b/src/net/java/sip/communicator/impl/protocol/irc/Utils.java
@@ -8,6 +8,8 @@
 
 import net.java.sip.communicator.util.*;
 
+import org.apache.commons.lang3.*;
+
 /**
  * Some IRC-related utility methods.
  *
@@ -114,8 +116,8 @@ public static String parseIrcMessage(final String text)
                 builder.cancelAll();
                 break;
             default:
-                // value is a normal character, just append
-                builder.append(val);
+                // value is a normal character, escape html entities and append
+                builder.append(StringEscapeUtils.escapeHtml4("" + val));
                 break;
             }
         }
@@ -192,9 +194,8 @@ private static Color parseForegroundColor(final String text)
      * @param message original IRC message
      * @return returns HTML-formatted normal message
      */
-    public static String formatMessage(final String message)
+    public static String styleAsMessage(final String message)
     {
-        // FIXME html entity encoding
         return message;
     }
 
@@ -205,9 +206,8 @@ public static String formatMessage(final String message)
      * @param user user nick name
      * @return returns HTML-formatted notice
      */
-    public static String formatNotice(final String message, final String user)
+    public static String styleAsNotice(final String message, final String user)
     {
-        // FIXME html entity encoding
         return "<i>" + user + "</i>: " + message;
     }
 
@@ -218,9 +218,8 @@ public static String formatNotice(final String message, final String user)
      * @param user user nick name
      * @return returns HTML-formatted action
      */
-    public static String formatAction(final String message, final String user)
+    public static String styleAsAction(final String message, final String user)
     {
-        // FIXME html entity encoding
         return "<b>*" + user + "</b> " + message;
     }
 }
diff --git a/src/net/java/sip/communicator/impl/protocol/irc/irc.provider.manifest.mf b/src/net/java/sip/communicator/impl/protocol/irc/irc.provider.manifest.mf
index 341d3ad0f..a28001a7c 100644
--- a/src/net/java/sip/communicator/impl/protocol/irc/irc.provider.manifest.mf
+++ b/src/net/java/sip/communicator/impl/protocol/irc/irc.provider.manifest.mf
@@ -21,4 +21,5 @@ Import-Package: org.osgi.framework,
  com.ircclouds.irc.api.domain.messages,
  com.ircclouds.irc.api.domain.messages.interfaces,
  com.ircclouds.irc.api.listeners,
- com.ircclouds.irc.api.state
+ com.ircclouds.irc.api.state,
+ org.apache.commons.lang3
diff --git a/test/net/java/sip/communicator/impl/protocol/irc/UtilsTest.java b/test/net/java/sip/communicator/impl/protocol/irc/UtilsTest.java
index b38454ef9..92b6ed8e2 100644
--- a/test/net/java/sip/communicator/impl/protocol/irc/UtilsTest.java
+++ b/test/net/java/sip/communicator/impl/protocol/irc/UtilsTest.java
@@ -14,16 +14,6 @@ public class UtilsTest
     extends TestCase
 {
 
-    protected void setUp() throws Exception
-    {
-        super.setUp();
-    }
-
-    protected void tearDown() throws Exception
-    {
-        super.tearDown();
-    }
-
     public void testNullText()
     {
         Assert.assertEquals(null, Utils.parseIrcMessage(null));
@@ -183,26 +173,33 @@ public void testCancelColorFormat()
         final String htmlMessage = "<font color=\"Navy\">With color</font> and without color.";
         Assert.assertEquals(htmlMessage, Utils.parseIrcMessage(ircMessage));
     }
+    
+    public void testMessageContainingHtmlEntities()
+    {
+        final String ircMessage = "\u0002This<b> is very</b> bad &&& text!!!<!-- \u0002<i>";
+        final String parsedMessage = "<b>This&lt;b&gt; is very&lt;/b&gt; bad &amp;&amp;&amp; text!!!&lt;!-- </b>&lt;i&gt;";
+        Assert.assertEquals(parsedMessage, Utils.parseIrcMessage(ircMessage));
+    }
 
-    public void testFormatMessage()
+    public void testStyleAsMessage()
     {
         String message = "hello world";
-        Assert.assertEquals(message, Utils.formatMessage(message));
+        Assert.assertEquals(message, Utils.styleAsMessage(message));
     }
 
-    public void testFormatNotice()
+    public void testStyleAsNotice()
     {
         String message = "hello world";
         String nick = "MrNiceGuy";
         Assert.assertEquals("<i>MrNiceGuy</i>: hello world",
-            Utils.formatNotice(message, nick));
+            Utils.styleAsNotice(message, nick));
     }
 
-    public void testFormatAction()
+    public void testStyleAsAction()
     {
         String message = "is absolutely crazy!";
         String nick = "AbsoluteLunatic";
         Assert.assertEquals("<b>*AbsoluteLunatic</b> is absolutely crazy!",
-            Utils.formatAction(message, nick));
+            Utils.styleAsAction(message, nick));
     }
 }