diff --git a/chat/src/main/java/net/md_5/bungee/api/chat/TextComponent.java b/chat/src/main/java/net/md_5/bungee/api/chat/TextComponent.java
index b4285835f..16c90fb3b 100644
--- a/chat/src/main/java/net/md_5/bungee/api/chat/TextComponent.java
+++ b/chat/src/main/java/net/md_5/bungee/api/chat/TextComponent.java
@@ -39,7 +39,10 @@ public final class TextComponent extends BaseComponent
             char c = message.charAt( i );
             if ( c == ChatColor.COLOR_CHAR )
             {
-                i++;
+                if ( ++i >= message.length() )
+                {
+                    break;
+                }
                 c = message.charAt( i );
                 if ( c >= 'A' && c <= 'Z' )
                 {
diff --git a/chat/src/test/java/net/md_5/bungee/api/chat/TextComponentTest.java b/chat/src/test/java/net/md_5/bungee/api/chat/TextComponentTest.java
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..f7937f07f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/chat/src/test/java/net/md_5/bungee/api/chat/TextComponentTest.java
@@ -0,0 +1,39 @@
+package net.md_5.bungee.api.chat;
+
+import net.md_5.bungee.api.ChatColor;
+import org.junit.Test;
+import static org.junit.Assert.assertEquals;
+
+public class TextComponentTest
+{
+
+    @Test
+    public void testInvalidColorCodes()
+    {
+        StringBuilder allInvalidColorCodes = new StringBuilder();
+
+        // collect all invalid color codes (e.g. §z, §g, ...)
+        for ( char alphChar : "0123456789abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz".toCharArray() )
+        {
+            if ( ChatColor.ALL_CODES.indexOf( alphChar ) == -1 )
+            {
+                allInvalidColorCodes.append( ChatColor.COLOR_CHAR );
+                allInvalidColorCodes.append( alphChar );
+            }
+        }
+
+        // last char is a single '§'
+        allInvalidColorCodes.append( ChatColor.COLOR_CHAR );
+
+        String invalidColorCodesLegacyText = fromAndToLegacyText( allInvalidColorCodes.toString() );
+        String emptyLegacyText = fromAndToLegacyText( "" );
+
+        // all invalid color codes and the trailing '§' should be ignored
+        assertEquals( emptyLegacyText, invalidColorCodesLegacyText );
+    }
+
+    private String fromAndToLegacyText(String legacyText)
+    {
+        return BaseComponent.toLegacyText( TextComponent.fromLegacyText( legacyText ) );
+    }
+}