diff --git a/icu4c/source/common/udata.c b/icu4c/source/common/udata.c
index 7db32ba56b..733dfe7212 100644
--- a/icu4c/source/common/udata.c
+++ b/icu4c/source/common/udata.c
@@ -141,72 +141,6 @@ setCommonICUData(UDataMemory *pData,     /*  The new common data.  Belongs to ca
     return;
 }
 
-
-
-static char *
-strcpy_returnEnd(char *dest, const char *src) {
-    while((*dest=*src)!=0) {
-        ++dest;
-        ++src;
-    }
-    return dest;
-}
-
-/*------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- *                                                                              
- *  computeDirPath   given a user-supplied path of an item to be opened,             
- *                         compute and return 
- *                            - the full directory path to be used 
- *                              when opening the file.
- *                            - Pointer to null at end of above returned path    
- *
- *                       Parameters:
- *                          path:        input path.  Buffer is not altered.
- *                          pathBuffer:  Output buffer.  Any contents are overwritten.
- *
- *                       Returns:
- *                          Pointer to null termination in returned pathBuffer.
- *
- *                    TODO:  This works the way ICU historically has, but the
- *                           whole data fallback search path is so complicated that
- *                           proabably almost no one will ever really understand it,
- *                           the potential for confusion is large.  (It's not just 
- *                           this one function, but the whole scheme.)
- *                            
- *------------------------------------------------------------------------------*/
-char *
-uprv_computeDirPath(const char *path, char *pathBuffer) {
-    char   *finalSlash;       /* Ptr to last dir separator in input path, or null if none. */
-    int32_t pathLen;          /* Length of the returned directory path                     */
-    
-    finalSlash = 0;
-    if (path != 0) {
-        finalSlash = uprv_strrchr(path, U_FILE_SEP_CHAR);
-    }
-    
-    *pathBuffer = 0;
-    if (finalSlash == 0) {
-        /* No user-supplied path.  
-         * Copy the ICU_DATA path to the path buffer and return that*/
-        const char *icuDataDir;
-        icuDataDir=u_getDataDirectory();
-        if(icuDataDir!=NULL && *icuDataDir!=0) {
-            return strcpy_returnEnd(pathBuffer, icuDataDir);
-        } else {
-            /* there is no icuDataDir either.  Just return the empty pathBuffer. */
-            return pathBuffer;
-        }
-    } 
-    
-    /* User supplied path did contain a directory portion.
-     * Copy it to the output path buffer */
-    pathLen = (int32_t)(finalSlash - path + 1);
-    uprv_memcpy(pathBuffer, path, pathLen);
-    *(pathBuffer+pathLen) = 0;
-    return pathBuffer+pathLen;
-}
-
-
 static const char *
 findBasename(const char *path) {
     const char *basename=uprv_strrchr(path, U_FILE_SEP_CHAR);
@@ -978,7 +912,6 @@ doOpenChoice(const char *path, const char *type, const char *name,
 
     /* the data was not found in the common data,  look further, */
     /* try to get an individual data file */
-    /* === basename=uprv_computeDirPath(path, pathBuffer); === */
     if(path == NULL) {
         path = COMMON_DATA_NAME;
         inBasename = COMMON_DATA_NAME;