diff --git a/python-html2text.spec b/python-html2text.spec
index 98fa2f7..5adfc9e 100644
--- a/python-html2text.spec
+++ b/python-html2text.spec
@@ -7,19 +7,21 @@ also happens to be valid Markdown (a text-to-HTML format).
 
 Name:           python-%{upname}
 Version:        2019.9.26
-Release:        2%{?dist}
+Release:        3%{?dist}
 Summary:        %{common_sum}
 
 License:        GPLv3
 URL:            http://alir3z4.github.io/%{upname}
 Source0:        https://files.pythonhosted.org/packages/source/h/%{upname}/%{upname}-%{version}.tar.gz
 
+Patch0:         python3-string-encoding.patch
+
 BuildArch:      noarch
 
 BuildRequires:  help2man
 BuildRequires:  python%{python3_pkgversion}-devel
 BuildRequires:  python%{python3_pkgversion}-setuptools
-BuildRequires:  python3-pytest
+BuildRequires:  python%{python3_pkgversion}-pytest
 
 %description
 %{common_desc}
@@ -28,7 +30,7 @@ BuildRequires:  python3-pytest
 %package -n python3-%{upname}
 Summary:        %{common_sum}
 Provides:       %{upname} = %{version}-%{release}
-Obsoletes:      python2-%{upname} <= %{version}-%{release}
+Obsoletes:      python2-%{upname} < 2019.8.11
 %{?python_provide:%python_provide python3-%{upname}}
 
 %description -n python3-%{upname}
@@ -36,7 +38,7 @@ Obsoletes:      python2-%{upname} <= %{version}-%{release}
 
 
 %prep
-%autosetup -n %{upname}-%{version}
+%autosetup -n %{upname}-%{version} -p1
 %{__rm} -fr *.egg-info
 
 
@@ -79,6 +81,9 @@ popd
 
 
 %changelog
+* Thu Feb 13 2020 David Kaufmann <astra@ionic.at> - 2019.9.26-3
+- allow keeping python2-html2text in epel7
+
 * Tue Oct 29 2019 Sérgio Basto <sergio@serjux.com> - 2019.9.26-2
 - Python3 only this version remove support for Python <= 3.4
 
diff --git a/python3-string-encoding.patch b/python3-string-encoding.patch
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..83d9327
--- /dev/null
+++ b/python3-string-encoding.patch
@@ -0,0 +1,21 @@
+--- html2text-2019.9.26/html2text/cli.py.orig	2020-12-04 21:03:13.896696602 +0100
++++ html2text-2019.9.26/html2text/cli.py	2020-12-06 01:29:03.649034019 +0100
+@@ -260,6 +260,8 @@
+ 
+     try:
+         data = data.decode(args.encoding, args.decode_errors)
++    except AttributeError:
++        pass
+     except UnicodeDecodeError as err:
+         warning = bcolors.WARNING + "Warning:" + bcolors.ENDC
+         warning += " Use the " + bcolors.OKGREEN
+@@ -303,4 +305,8 @@
+     h.open_quote = args.open_quote
+     h.close_quote = args.close_quote
+ 
+-    sys.stdout.write(h.handle(data))
++    handled_data = h.handle(data)
++    try:
++        sys.stdout.write(handled_data)
++    except UnicodeEncodeError:
++        sys.stdout.buffer.write(handled_data.encode('utf-8'))