--- a/drivers/net/wireless/ath/regd.c
+++ b/drivers/net/wireless/ath/regd.c
@@ -342,6 +342,14 @@ int ath_reg_notifier_apply(struct wiphy 
 	/* We always apply this */
 	ath_reg_apply_radar_flags(wiphy);
 
+	/*
+	 * This would happen when we have sent a custom regulatory request
+	 * a world regulatory domain and the scheduler hasn't yet processed
+	 * any pending requests in the queue.
+	 */
+	if (!request)
+		return 0;
+
 	switch (request->initiator) {
 	case NL80211_REGDOM_SET_BY_DRIVER:
 	case NL80211_REGDOM_SET_BY_CORE:
--- a/include/net/cfg80211.h
+++ b/include/net/cfg80211.h
@@ -1417,7 +1417,9 @@ struct ieee80211_txrx_stypes {
 
 /**
  * struct wiphy - wireless hardware description
- * @reg_notifier: the driver's regulatory notification callback
+ * @reg_notifier: the driver's regulatory notification callback,
+ *	note that if your driver uses wiphy_apply_custom_regulatory()
+ *	the reg_notifier's request can be passed as NULL
  * @regd: the driver's regulatory domain, if one was requested via
  * 	the regulatory_hint() API. This can be used by the driver
  *	on the reg_notifier() if it chooses to ignore future
--- a/net/wireless/reg.c
+++ b/net/wireless/reg.c
@@ -662,7 +662,8 @@ static int freq_reg_info_regd(struct wip
 	 * Follow the driver's regulatory domain, if present, unless a country
 	 * IE has been processed or a user wants to help complaince further
 	 */
-	if (last_request->initiator != NL80211_REGDOM_SET_BY_COUNTRY_IE &&
+	if (!custom_regd &&
+	    last_request->initiator != NL80211_REGDOM_SET_BY_COUNTRY_IE &&
 	    last_request->initiator != NL80211_REGDOM_SET_BY_USER &&
 	    wiphy->regd)
 		regd = wiphy->regd;