diff --git a/src/uchardet.cpp b/src/uchardet.cpp
index bf506e3..f1951d1 100644
--- a/src/uchardet.cpp
+++ b/src/uchardet.cpp
@@ -75,7 +75,7 @@ public:
 
     const char* GetCharset() const
     {
-        return m_charset;
+        return m_charset? m_charset : "";
     }
 };