diff --git a/IPython/html/notebookapp.py b/IPython/html/notebookapp.py
index ce99521..2cea088 100644
--- a/IPython/html/notebookapp.py
+++ b/IPython/html/notebookapp.py
@@ -25,10 +25,6 @@ import threading
 import webbrowser
 
 
-# check for pyzmq
-from IPython.utils.zmqrelated import check_for_zmq
-check_for_zmq('13', 'IPython.html')
-
 from jinja2 import Environment, FileSystemLoader
 
 # Install the pyzmq ioloop. This has to be done before anything else from
diff --git a/IPython/utils/zmqrelated.py b/IPython/utils/zmqrelated.py
deleted file mode 100644
index 79688dc..0000000
--- a/IPython/utils/zmqrelated.py
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,19 +0,0 @@
-"""Utilities for checking zmq versions."""
-# Copyright (c) IPython Development Team.
-# Distributed under the terms of the Modified BSD License.
-
-from IPython.utils.version import check_version
-
-
-def check_for_zmq(minimum_version, required_by='Someone'):
-    try:
-        import zmq
-    except ImportError:
-        raise ImportError("%s requires pyzmq >= %s"%(required_by, minimum_version))
-    
-    pyzmq_version = zmq.__version__
-    
-    if not check_version(pyzmq_version, minimum_version):
-        raise ImportError("%s requires pyzmq >= %s, but you have %s"%(
-                        required_by, minimum_version, pyzmq_version))
-
diff --git a/ipython_parallel/__init__.py b/ipython_parallel/__init__.py
index b6863b8..8d987d8 100644
--- a/ipython_parallel/__init__.py
+++ b/ipython_parallel/__init__.py
@@ -1,19 +1,8 @@
-"""The IPython ZMQ-based parallel computing interface.
+"""The IPython ZMQ-based parallel computing interface."""
 
-Authors:
+# Copyright (c) IPython Development Team.
+# Distributed under the terms of the Modified BSD License.
 
-* MinRK
-"""
-#-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
-#  Copyright (C) 2011 The IPython Development Team
-#
-#  Distributed under the terms of the BSD License.  The full license is in
-#  the file COPYING, distributed as part of this software.
-#-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-#-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
-# Imports
-#-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
 import os
 import warnings
@@ -21,11 +10,6 @@ import warnings
 import zmq
 
 from IPython.config.configurable import MultipleInstanceError
-from IPython.utils.zmqrelated import check_for_zmq
-
-min_pyzmq = '2.1.11'
-
-check_for_zmq(min_pyzmq, 'ipython_parallel')
 
 from IPython.utils.pickleutil import Reference