diff --git a/package/pkg-cargo.mk b/package/pkg-cargo.mk
index 7802c3a883..2c277f7079 100644
--- a/package/pkg-cargo.mk
+++ b/package/pkg-cargo.mk
@@ -95,6 +95,15 @@ ifneq ($$($(2)_SUBDIR),)
 $(2)_DL_ENV += BR_CARGO_MANIFEST_PATH=$$($(2)_SUBDIR)/Cargo.toml
 endif
 
+# Because we append vendored info, we can't rely on the values being empty
+# once we eventually get into the generic-package infra. So, we duplicate
+# the heuristics here
+ifndef $(2)_LICENSE
+ ifdef $(3)_LICENSE
+  $(2)_LICENSE = $$($(3)_LICENSE)
+ endif
+endif
+
 # Due to vendoring, it is pretty likely that not all licenses are
 # listed in <pkg>_LICENSE. If the license is unset, it is "unknown"
 # so adding unknowns to some unknown is still some other unkown,