diff --git a/src/cmd/link/internal/ld/objfile.go b/src/cmd/link/internal/ld/objfile.go
index a049fcfe4a2..6e5bf37b60d 100644
--- a/src/cmd/link/internal/ld/objfile.go
+++ b/src/cmd/link/internal/ld/objfile.go
@@ -175,6 +175,8 @@ func ldobjfile(ctxt *Link, f *obj.Biobuf, pkg string, length int64, pn string) {
 	}
 }
 
+var dupSym = &LSym{Name: ".dup"}
+
 func readsym(ctxt *Link, f *obj.Biobuf, buf *[]byte, pkg string, pn string) {
 	if obj.Bgetc(f) != 0xfe {
 		log.Fatalf("readsym out of sync")
@@ -209,7 +211,7 @@ func readsym(ctxt *Link, f *obj.Biobuf, buf *[]byte, pkg string, pn string) {
 		}
 		if len(s.P) > 0 {
 			dup = s
-			s = linknewsym(ctxt, ".dup", -1)
+			s = dupSym
 		}
 	}
 
@@ -232,17 +234,15 @@ overwrite:
 		s.Size = int64(size)
 	}
 	s.Attr.Set(AttrLocal, local)
-	if typ != nil { // if bss sym defined multiple times, take type from any one def
+	if typ != nil {
 		s.Gotype = typ
 	}
-	if dup != nil && typ != nil {
+	if dup != nil && typ != nil { // if bss sym defined multiple times, take type from any one def
 		dup.Gotype = typ
 	}
 	s.P = data
-	s.P = s.P[:len(data)]
 	if nreloc > 0 {
 		s.R = make([]Reloc, nreloc)
-		s.R = s.R[:nreloc]
 		var r *Reloc
 		for i := 0; i < nreloc; i++ {
 			r = &s.R[i]
diff --git a/src/cmd/link/internal/ld/sym.go b/src/cmd/link/internal/ld/sym.go
index e4fce6a5db6..86e0544f0d9 100644
--- a/src/cmd/link/internal/ld/sym.go
+++ b/src/cmd/link/internal/ld/sym.go
@@ -172,12 +172,8 @@ func linknewsym(ctxt *Link, symb string, v int) *LSym {
 	s.Name = symb
 	s.Version = int16(v)
 	ctxt.Nsymbol++
+	ctxt.Allsym = append(ctxt.Allsym, s)
 
-	if v != -1 {
-		ctxt.Allsym = append(ctxt.Allsym, s)
-	} else if v < -1 {
-		ctxt.Diag("invalid version %d in linknewsym", v)
-	}
 	return s
 }