diff --git a/src/ol/format/kml.js b/src/ol/format/kml.js
index 0950e94150..33f40c5a62 100644
--- a/src/ol/format/kml.js
+++ b/src/ol/format/kml.js
@@ -5,7 +5,6 @@
 
 goog.provide('ol.format.KML');
 
-goog.require('goog.object');
 goog.require('ol');
 goog.require('ol.Feature');
 goog.require('ol.array');
@@ -25,7 +24,6 @@ goog.require('ol.geom.MultiPolygon');
 goog.require('ol.geom.Point');
 goog.require('ol.geom.Polygon');
 goog.require('ol.math');
-goog.require('ol.obj');
 goog.require('ol.proj');
 goog.require('ol.style.Fill');
 goog.require('ol.style.Icon');
@@ -223,6 +221,13 @@ ol.format.KML.createStyleDefaults_ = function() {
     src: ol.format.KML.DEFAULT_IMAGE_STYLE_SRC_
   });
 
+  /**
+   * @const
+   * @type {string}
+   * @private
+   */
+  ol.format.KML.DEFAULT_NO_IMAGE_STYLE_ = 'NO_IMAGE';
+
   /**
    * @const
    * @type {ol.style.Stroke}
@@ -302,27 +307,45 @@ ol.format.KML.createNameStyleFunction_ = function(foundStyle, name) {
   var textAlign = 'start';
   if (foundStyle.getImage()) {
     var imageSize = foundStyle.getImage().getImageSize();
-    if (imageSize && imageSize.length == 2) {
+    if (imageSize === null) {
+      imageSize = ol.format.KML.DEFAULT_IMAGE_STYLE_SIZE_;
+    }
+    var imageScale = foundStyle.getImage().getScale();
+    if (isNaN(imageScale)) {
+      imageScale = ol.format.KML.DEFAULT_IMAGE_SCALE_MULTIPLIER_;
+    }
+    if (imageSize.length == 2) {
       // Offset the label to be centered to the right of the icon, if there is
       // one.
-      textOffset[0] = foundStyle.getImage().getScale() * imageSize[0] / 2;
-      textOffset[1] = -foundStyle.getImage().getScale() * imageSize[1] / 2;
+      textOffset[0] = imageScale * imageSize[0] / 2;
+      textOffset[1] = -imageScale * imageSize[1] / 2;
       textAlign = 'left';
     }
   }
-  if (!ol.obj.isEmpty(foundStyle.getText())) {
-    textStyle = /** @type {ol.style.Text} */
-        (goog.object.clone(foundStyle.getText()));
-    textStyle.setText(name);
-    textStyle.setTextAlign(textAlign);
-    textStyle.setOffsetX(textOffset[0]);
-    textStyle.setOffsetY(textOffset[1]);
+  if (foundStyle.getText() !== null) {
+	// clone the text style, customizing it with name, alignments and offset.
+    // Note that kml does not support many text options that OpenLayers does (rotation, textBaseline).
+    var foundText = foundStyle.getText();
+    textStyle = new ol.style.Text({
+      text: name,
+      textAlign: textAlign,
+      offsetX: textOffset[0],
+      offsetY: textOffset[1],
+      font: foundText.getFont() || ol.format.KML.DEFAULT_TEXT_STYLE_.getFont(),
+      scale: foundText.getScale() || ol.format.KML.DEFAULT_TEXT_STYLE_.getScale(),
+      fill: foundText.getFill() || ol.format.KML.DEFAULT_TEXT_STYLE_.getFill(),
+      stroke: foundText.getStroke() || ol.format.KML.DEFAULT_TEXT_STROKE_STYLE_
+    });
   } else {
     textStyle = new ol.style.Text({
       text: name,
       offsetX: textOffset[0],
       offsetY: textOffset[1],
-      textAlign: textAlign
+      textAlign: textAlign,
+      font: ol.format.KML.DEFAULT_TEXT_STYLE_.getFont(),
+      scale: ol.format.KML.DEFAULT_TEXT_STYLE_.getScale(),
+      fill: ol.format.KML.DEFAULT_TEXT_STYLE_.getFill(),
+      stroke: ol.format.KML.DEFAULT_TEXT_STROKE_STYLE_
     });
   }
   var nameStyle = new ol.style.Style({
@@ -514,12 +537,7 @@ ol.format.KML.readVec2_ = function(node) {
  * @return {number|undefined} Scale.
  */
 ol.format.KML.readScale_ = function(node) {
-  var number = ol.format.XSD.readDecimal(node);
-  if (number !== undefined) {
-    return Math.sqrt(number);
-  } else {
-    return undefined;
-  }
+  return ol.format.XSD.readDecimal(node);
 };
 
 
@@ -558,12 +576,13 @@ ol.format.KML.IconStyleParser_ = function(node, objectStack) {
   }
   var styleObject = /** @type {Object} */ (objectStack[objectStack.length - 1]);
   var IconObject = 'Icon' in object ? object['Icon'] : {};
+  var drawIcon = (!('Icon' in object) || Object.keys(IconObject).length > 0);
   var src;
   var href = /** @type {string|undefined} */
       (IconObject['href']);
   if (href) {
     src = href;
-  } else {
+  } else if (drawIcon) {
     src = ol.format.KML.DEFAULT_IMAGE_STYLE_SRC_;
   }
   var anchor, anchorXUnits, anchorYUnits;
@@ -610,27 +629,38 @@ ol.format.KML.IconStyleParser_ = function(node, objectStack) {
 
   var scale = /** @type {number|undefined} */
       (object['scale']);
-  if (src == ol.format.KML.DEFAULT_IMAGE_STYLE_SRC_) {
-    size = ol.format.KML.DEFAULT_IMAGE_STYLE_SIZE_;
-    if (scale === undefined) {
-      scale = ol.format.KML.DEFAULT_IMAGE_SCALE_MULTIPLIER_;
-    }
+  if (isNaN(scale) || scale === undefined) {
+    scale = ol.format.KML.DEFAULT_IMAGE_SCALE_MULTIPLIER_;
+  } else {
+    scale = scale * ol.format.KML.DEFAULT_IMAGE_SCALE_MULTIPLIER_;
   }
 
-  var imageStyle = new ol.style.Icon({
-    anchor: anchor,
-    anchorOrigin: ol.style.IconOrigin.BOTTOM_LEFT,
-    anchorXUnits: anchorXUnits,
-    anchorYUnits: anchorYUnits,
-    crossOrigin: 'anonymous', // FIXME should this be configurable?
-    offset: offset,
-    offsetOrigin: ol.style.IconOrigin.BOTTOM_LEFT,
-    rotation: rotation,
-    scale: scale,
-    size: size,
-    src: src
-  });
-  styleObject['imageStyle'] = imageStyle;
+  if (drawIcon) {
+    if (src == ol.format.KML.DEFAULT_IMAGE_STYLE_SRC_) {
+      size = ol.format.KML.DEFAULT_IMAGE_STYLE_SIZE_;
+      if (scale === undefined) {
+        scale = ol.format.KML.DEFAULT_IMAGE_SCALE_MULTIPLIER_;
+      }
+    }
+
+    var imageStyle = new ol.style.Icon({
+      anchor: anchor,
+      anchorOrigin: ol.style.IconOrigin.BOTTOM_LEFT,
+      anchorXUnits: anchorXUnits,
+      anchorYUnits: anchorYUnits,
+      crossOrigin: 'anonymous', // FIXME should this be configurable?
+      offset: offset,
+      offsetOrigin: ol.style.IconOrigin.BOTTOM_LEFT,
+      rotation: rotation,
+      scale: scale,
+      size: size,
+      src: src
+    });
+    styleObject['imageStyle'] = imageStyle;
+  } else {
+    // handle the case when we explicitly want to draw no icon.
+    styleObject['imageStyle'] = ol.format.KML.DEFAULT_NO_IMAGE_STYLE_;
+  }
 };
 
 
@@ -1079,6 +1109,9 @@ ol.format.KML.readStyle_ = function(node, objectStack) {
   var imageStyle = /** @type {ol.style.Image} */
       ('imageStyle' in styleObject ?
           styleObject['imageStyle'] : ol.format.KML.DEFAULT_IMAGE_STYLE_);
+  if (imageStyle == ol.format.KML.DEFAULT_NO_IMAGE_STYLE_) {
+    imageStyle = undefined;
+  }
   var textStyle = /** @type {ol.style.Text} */
       ('textStyle' in styleObject ?
           styleObject['textStyle'] : ol.format.KML.DEFAULT_TEXT_STYLE_);
diff --git a/test/spec/ol/format/kml.test.js b/test/spec/ol/format/kml.test.js
index b770a25522..b60a0664a7 100644
--- a/test/spec/ol/format/kml.test.js
+++ b/test/spec/ol/format/kml.test.js
@@ -1394,7 +1394,7 @@ describe('ol.format.KML', function() {
         expect(imageStyle.getOrigin()).to.be(null);
         expect(imageStyle.getRotation()).to.eql(0);
         expect(imageStyle.getSize()).to.be(null);
-        expect(imageStyle.getScale()).to.be(1);
+        expect(imageStyle.getScale()).to.be(ol.format.KML.DEFAULT_IMAGE_SCALE_MULTIPLIER_);
         expect(style.getText()).to.be(ol.format.KML.DEFAULT_TEXT_STYLE_);
         expect(style.getZIndex()).to.be(undefined);
       });
@@ -1439,7 +1439,7 @@ describe('ol.format.KML', function() {
         expect(imageStyle.getAnchor()).to.eql([24, 36]);
         expect(imageStyle.getOrigin()).to.eql([24, 108]);
         expect(imageStyle.getRotation()).to.eql(0);
-        expect(imageStyle.getScale()).to.eql(Math.sqrt(3));
+        expect(imageStyle.getScale()).to.eql(ol.format.KML.DEFAULT_IMAGE_SCALE_MULTIPLIER_ * 3.0);
         expect(style.getText()).to.be(ol.format.KML.DEFAULT_TEXT_STYLE_);
         expect(style.getZIndex()).to.be(undefined);
       });
@@ -1472,7 +1472,7 @@ describe('ol.format.KML', function() {
         expect(style.getStroke()).to.be(ol.format.KML.DEFAULT_STROKE_STYLE_);
         var textStyle = style.getText();
         expect(textStyle).to.be.an(ol.style.Text);
-        expect(textStyle.getScale()).to.be(0.5);
+        expect(textStyle.getScale()).to.be(0.25);
         var textFillStyle = textStyle.getFill();
         expect(textFillStyle).to.be.an(ol.style.Fill);
         expect(textFillStyle.getColor()).to.eql([0x78, 0x56, 0x34, 0x12 / 255]);