diff --git a/python/src/com/jetbrains/python/codeInsight/imports/PyImportOptimizer.java b/python/src/com/jetbrains/python/codeInsight/imports/PyImportOptimizer.java
index 34da95b348ef..c9710087fea1 100644
--- a/python/src/com/jetbrains/python/codeInsight/imports/PyImportOptimizer.java
+++ b/python/src/com/jetbrains/python/codeInsight/imports/PyImportOptimizer.java
@@ -28,9 +28,9 @@ import com.intellij.psi.PsiWhiteSpace;
 import com.intellij.psi.codeStyle.CodeStyleManager;
 import com.intellij.psi.codeStyle.CodeStyleSettingsManager;
 import com.intellij.psi.util.PsiTreeUtil;
-import com.intellij.util.ObjectUtils;
-import com.intellij.util.containers.*;
+import com.intellij.util.containers.ContainerUtil;
 import com.intellij.util.containers.HashMap;
+import com.intellij.util.containers.MultiMap;
 import com.jetbrains.python.codeInsight.imports.AddImportHelper.ImportPriority;
 import com.jetbrains.python.formatter.PyCodeStyleSettings;
 import com.jetbrains.python.inspections.unresolvedReference.PyUnresolvedReferencesInspection;
@@ -145,7 +145,9 @@ public class PyImportOptimizer implements ImportOptimizer {
         if (fromImport != null && !fromImport.isStarImport()) {
           fromImportSources.putValue(getNormalizedFromImportSource(fromImport), fromImport);
         }
-        precedingComments.putValues(statement, collectPrecedingLineComments(statement));
+        if (statement != myImportBlock.get(0)) {
+          precedingComments.putValues(statement, collectPrecedingLineComments(statement));
+        }
         ContainerUtil.putIfNotNull(statement, as(statement.getLastChild(), PsiComment.class), trailingComments);
       }
       
@@ -231,7 +233,7 @@ public class PyImportOptimizer implements ImportOptimizer {
     private static List<PsiComment> collectPrecedingLineComments(@NotNull PyImportStatementBase statement) {
       final List<PsiComment> result = new ArrayList<>();
       PsiElement prev = PyPsiUtils.getPrevNonWhitespaceSibling(statement);
-      while ((prev instanceof PsiComment) && onItsOwnLine(prev) && !isShebangComment(((PsiComment)prev))) {
+      while (prev instanceof PsiComment && isFirstOnLine(prev)) {
         result.add((PsiComment)prev);
         prev = PyPsiUtils.getPrevNonWhitespaceSibling(prev);
       }
@@ -239,11 +241,7 @@ public class PyImportOptimizer implements ImportOptimizer {
       return result;
     }
 
-    private static boolean isShebangComment(@NotNull PsiComment comment) {
-      return comment.getTextRange().getStartOffset() == 0 && comment.getText().startsWith("#!");
-    }
-
-    private static boolean onItsOwnLine(@NotNull PsiElement element) {
+    private static boolean isFirstOnLine(@NotNull PsiElement element) {
       if (element.getTextRange().getStartOffset() == 0) return true;
       final PsiWhiteSpace sibling = as(PsiTreeUtil.prevLeaf(element), PsiWhiteSpace.class);
       return sibling != null && (sibling.textContains('\n') || sibling.getTextRange().getStartOffset() == 0);
@@ -275,10 +273,8 @@ public class PyImportOptimizer implements ImportOptimizer {
         }
       }
       final PyImportStatementBase firstImport = myImportBlock.get(0);
-      final List<PsiComment> comments = collectPrecedingLineComments(firstImport);
-      final PsiElement topmostAnchor = ObjectUtils.notNull(ContainerUtil.getFirstItem(comments), firstImport);
-      addImportsBefore(topmostAnchor);
-      myFile.deleteChildRange(topmostAnchor, ContainerUtil.getLastItem(myImportBlock));
+      addImportsBefore(firstImport);
+      myFile.deleteChildRange(firstImport, ContainerUtil.getLastItem(myImportBlock));
     }
 
     private void addImportsBefore(@NotNull PsiElement anchor) {
diff --git a/python/testData/optimizeImports/commentsHandling.after.py b/python/testData/optimizeImports/commentsHandling.after.py
index fb51da58822e..d81c62eb6ec7 100644
--- a/python/testData/optimizeImports/commentsHandling.after.py
+++ b/python/testData/optimizeImports/commentsHandling.after.py
@@ -1,7 +1,8 @@
 #!/usr/bin/python
+
+# comment for b
 # comment for a
 import a  # trailing comment for normal import 
-# comment for b
 import b
 # comment for c, d
 import c  # trailing comment for c, d
diff --git a/python/testData/optimizeImports/keepLicenseComment.after.py b/python/testData/optimizeImports/keepLicenseComment.after.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..74c13fb7685f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/python/testData/optimizeImports/keepLicenseComment.after.py
@@ -0,0 +1,20 @@
+#!/usr/bin/python
+# Copyright 2000-2017 JetBrains s.r.o.
+#
+# Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+# you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+# You may obtain a copy of the License at
+#
+# http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+#
+# Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+# distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+# WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+# See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+# limitations under the License.
+# specific for import from sys
+from sys import path
+
+from lib import a, b
+
+print(a, b, path)
diff --git a/python/testData/optimizeImports/keepLicenseComment.py b/python/testData/optimizeImports/keepLicenseComment.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..4db5cb55a6e9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/python/testData/optimizeImports/keepLicenseComment.py
@@ -0,0 +1,20 @@
+#!/usr/bin/python
+# Copyright 2000-2017 JetBrains s.r.o.
+#
+# Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+# you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+# You may obtain a copy of the License at
+#
+# http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+#
+# Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+# distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+# WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+# See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+# limitations under the License.
+from lib import a
+from lib import b
+# specific for import from sys
+from sys import path
+
+print(a, b, path)
diff --git a/python/testSrc/com/jetbrains/python/PyOptimizeImportsTest.java b/python/testSrc/com/jetbrains/python/PyOptimizeImportsTest.java
index eb9aef2dde9e..1406a2937a6e 100644
--- a/python/testSrc/com/jetbrains/python/PyOptimizeImportsTest.java
+++ b/python/testSrc/com/jetbrains/python/PyOptimizeImportsTest.java
@@ -249,6 +249,12 @@ public class PyOptimizeImportsTest extends PyTestCase {
     doTest();
   }
 
+  // PY-19837
+  public void testKeepLicenseComment() {
+    getPythonCodeStyleSettings().OPTIMIZE_IMPORTS_JOIN_FROM_IMPORTS_WITH_SAME_SOURCE = true;
+    doTest();
+  }
+
   private void doTest() {
     myFixture.configureByFile(getTestName(true) + ".py");
     OptimizeImportsAction.actionPerformedImpl(DataManager.getInstance().getDataContext(myFixture.getEditor().getContentComponent()));