diff --git a/NEWS b/NEWS
index e9b6610562ec0bc6adc3d1d84756d13282e21f53..2f625a5a3fca87176d6082af57b807a5a161bdf2 100644
--- a/NEWS
+++ b/NEWS
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ Gnumeric 1.6.3
 
 Klokan Pridal:
 	* Implement xml saving/loading of "protected" attribute.  [#334257]
+	* Implement xls saving/loading of "protected" attribute.  [#330129]
 
 Morten:
 	* Fix printing issue when sheet is zoomed.  [#332932]
diff --git a/plugins/excel/ChangeLog b/plugins/excel/ChangeLog
index a4e567054bd07fd6e376c652a45ad02da701143e..10b7dbe4828519f2c3a54970923e84a9ff880174 100644
--- a/plugins/excel/ChangeLog
+++ b/plugins/excel/ChangeLog
@@ -1,3 +1,11 @@
+2006-03-13  Morten Welinder  <terra@gnome.org>
+
+	* ms-excel-write.c (write_sheet_head): Write protection flags.
+	* ms-excel-read.c (excel_read_sheet_PROTECT): Store falg.
+	(excel_read_workbook_PROTECT): New function.
+	(excel_read_workbook): Read protection flags.
+	Patch from Klokan Petr Pridal.  [#330129]
+
 2006-03-10  Jody Goldberg <jody@gnome.org>
 
 	* ms-formula-read.c (excel_parse_formula) : back port handling of
diff --git a/plugins/excel/ms-excel-read.c b/plugins/excel/ms-excel-read.c
index d00248e8fddc45cee10fc3847daf46c170c72ee1..e91e85bc793aeb2c32709f77f834e9f61c92d870 100644
--- a/plugins/excel/ms-excel-read.c
+++ b/plugins/excel/ms-excel-read.c
@@ -4199,19 +4199,35 @@ sheet_container (ExcelReadSheet *esheet)
 }
 
 static gboolean
-excel_read_PROTECT (BiffQuery *q, char const *obj_type)
+excel_read_sheet_PROTECT (BiffQuery *q, ExcelReadSheet *esheet)
 {
-	/* TODO: Use this information when gnumeric supports protection */
 	gboolean is_protected = TRUE;
 
 	/* MS Docs fail to mention that in some stream this
 	 * record can have size zero.  I assume the in that
 	 * case its existence is the flag.
 	 */
-	if (q->length > 0)
+	if (q->length >= 2)
 		is_protected = (1 == GSF_LE_GET_GUINT16 (q->data));
 
-	d (1,if (is_protected) fprintf (stderr,"%s is protected\n", obj_type););
+	esheet->sheet->is_protected = is_protected;
+
+	return is_protected;
+}
+
+static gboolean
+excel_read_workbook_PROTECT (BiffQuery *q, WorkbookView *wb_view)
+{
+	gboolean is_protected = TRUE;
+
+	/* MS Docs fail to mention that in some stream this
+	 * record can have size zero.  I assume the in that
+	 * case its existence is the flag.
+	 */
+	if (q->length >= 2)
+		is_protected = (1 == GSF_LE_GET_GUINT16 (q->data));
+
+	wb_view->is_protected = is_protected;
 
 	return is_protected;
 }
@@ -5547,7 +5563,8 @@ excel_read_sheet (BiffQuery *q, GnmXLImporter *importer,
 		case BIFF_REFMODE:	excel_read_REFMODE (q, esheet); break;
 		case BIFF_DELTA:	excel_read_DELTA (q, importer);	break;
 		case BIFF_ITERATION:	excel_read_ITERATION (q, importer);	break;
-		case BIFF_PROTECT:	excel_read_PROTECT (q, "Sheet"); break;
+		case BIFF_OBJPROTECT:
+		case BIFF_PROTECT:	excel_read_sheet_PROTECT (q, esheet); break;
 
 		case BIFF_PASSWORD:
 			if (q->length == 2) {
@@ -5633,7 +5650,6 @@ excel_read_sheet (BiffQuery *q, GnmXLImporter *importer,
 
 		case BIFF_SAVERECALC:	break;
 		case BIFF_TAB_COLOR:	excel_read_TAB_COLOR (q, esheet);	break;
-		case BIFF_OBJPROTECT:	excel_read_PROTECT (q, "Sheet");	break;
 		case BIFF_COLINFO:	excel_read_COLINFO (q, esheet);		break;
 
 		case BIFF_RK:
@@ -6082,7 +6098,7 @@ excel_read_workbook (IOContext *context, WorkbookView *wb_view, GsfInput *input,
 
 		case BIFF_OBJPROTECT:
 		case BIFF_PROTECT:
-			excel_read_PROTECT (q, "Workbook");
+			excel_read_workbook_PROTECT (q, wb_view);
 			break;
 
 		case BIFF_PASSWORD:
diff --git a/plugins/excel/ms-excel-write.c b/plugins/excel/ms-excel-write.c
index dc1fca4691bda3f5a8c07ad74653f8755cf8b1cc..d7e903bd2a00441204d39bc91e7ac8ba4a7c749f 100644
--- a/plugins/excel/ms-excel-write.c
+++ b/plugins/excel/ms-excel-write.c
@@ -4077,6 +4077,12 @@ write_sheet_head (BiffPut *bp, ExcelWriteSheet *esheet)
 		 * to make our lives easier */
 		excel_write_externsheets_v7 (esheet->ewb);
 	}
+	if (sheet->is_protected) {
+		ms_biff_put_2byte (bp, BIFF_PROTECT, 1 );
+		ms_biff_put_2byte (bp, BIFF_OBJPROTECT, 1);
+		ms_biff_put_2byte (bp, BIFF_SCENPROTECT, 1);
+		ms_biff_put_2byte (bp, BIFF_PASSWORD, 0);
+	}
 	excel_write_DEFCOLWIDTH (bp, esheet);
 	excel_write_colinfos (bp, esheet);
 	excel_write_AUTOFILTERINFO (bp, esheet);
@@ -5191,7 +5197,7 @@ excel_write_workbook (ExcelWriteState *ewb)
 	}
 
 	ms_biff_put_2byte (ewb->bp, BIFF_WINDOWPROTECT, 0);
-	ms_biff_put_2byte (ewb->bp, BIFF_PROTECT, 0);
+	ms_biff_put_2byte (ewb->bp, BIFF_PROTECT, ewb->gnum_wb_view->is_protected ? 1 : 0);
 	ms_biff_put_2byte (ewb->bp, BIFF_PASSWORD, 0);
 
 	if (bp->version >= MS_BIFF_V8) {