diff --git a/include/linux/percpu-rwsem.h b/include/linux/percpu-rwsem.h
index b1f37a89e368..79b99d653e03 100644
--- a/include/linux/percpu-rwsem.h
+++ b/include/linux/percpu-rwsem.h
@@ -133,7 +133,7 @@ static inline void percpu_rwsem_release(struct percpu_rw_semaphore *sem,
 	lock_release(&sem->rw_sem.dep_map, 1, ip);
 #ifdef CONFIG_RWSEM_SPIN_ON_OWNER
 	if (!read)
-		sem->rw_sem.owner = NULL;
+		sem->rw_sem.owner = RWSEM_OWNER_UNKNOWN;
 #endif
 }
 
@@ -141,6 +141,10 @@ static inline void percpu_rwsem_acquire(struct percpu_rw_semaphore *sem,
 					bool read, unsigned long ip)
 {
 	lock_acquire(&sem->rw_sem.dep_map, 0, 1, read, 1, NULL, ip);
+#ifdef CONFIG_RWSEM_SPIN_ON_OWNER
+	if (!read)
+		sem->rw_sem.owner = current;
+#endif
 }
 
 #endif
diff --git a/include/linux/rwsem.h b/include/linux/rwsem.h
index 56707d5ff6ad..ab93b6eae696 100644
--- a/include/linux/rwsem.h
+++ b/include/linux/rwsem.h
@@ -44,6 +44,12 @@ struct rw_semaphore {
 #endif
 };
 
+/*
+ * Setting bit 0 of the owner field with other non-zero bits will indicate
+ * that the rwsem is writer-owned with an unknown owner.
+ */
+#define RWSEM_OWNER_UNKNOWN	((struct task_struct *)-1L)
+
 extern struct rw_semaphore *rwsem_down_read_failed(struct rw_semaphore *sem);
 extern struct rw_semaphore *rwsem_down_read_failed_killable(struct rw_semaphore *sem);
 extern struct rw_semaphore *rwsem_down_write_failed(struct rw_semaphore *sem);
diff --git a/kernel/locking/rwsem-xadd.c b/kernel/locking/rwsem-xadd.c
index 604d247ea8c3..a90336779375 100644
--- a/kernel/locking/rwsem-xadd.c
+++ b/kernel/locking/rwsem-xadd.c
@@ -352,6 +352,8 @@ static inline bool rwsem_can_spin_on_owner(struct rw_semaphore *sem)
 	struct task_struct *owner;
 	bool ret = true;
 
+	BUILD_BUG_ON(!rwsem_has_anonymous_owner(RWSEM_OWNER_UNKNOWN));
+
 	if (need_resched())
 		return false;