diff --git a/Ghidra/Features/Base/src/main/java/ghidra/app/merge/listing/BookmarkMerger.java b/Ghidra/Features/Base/src/main/java/ghidra/app/merge/listing/BookmarkMerger.java
index c9b8b3021e..5bb469e555 100644
--- a/Ghidra/Features/Base/src/main/java/ghidra/app/merge/listing/BookmarkMerger.java
+++ b/Ghidra/Features/Base/src/main/java/ghidra/app/merge/listing/BookmarkMerger.java
@@ -4,9 +4,9 @@
  * 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.
@@ -15,16 +15,6 @@
  */
 package ghidra.app.merge.listing;
 
-import ghidra.app.merge.tool.ListingMergePanel;
-import ghidra.app.merge.util.ConflictUtility;
-import ghidra.program.model.address.*;
-import ghidra.program.model.listing.*;
-import ghidra.program.model.mem.MemoryAccessException;
-import ghidra.program.util.ProgramConflictException;
-import ghidra.util.exception.AssertException;
-import ghidra.util.exception.CancelledException;
-import ghidra.util.task.TaskMonitor;
-
 import java.lang.reflect.InvocationTargetException;
 import java.util.ArrayList;
 import java.util.Hashtable;
@@ -33,6 +23,17 @@ import javax.swing.SwingUtilities;
 import javax.swing.event.ChangeEvent;
 import javax.swing.event.ChangeListener;
 
+import ghidra.app.merge.tool.ListingMergePanel;
+import ghidra.app.merge.util.ConflictUtility;
+import ghidra.program.model.address.*;
+import ghidra.program.model.listing.*;
+import ghidra.program.model.mem.MemoryAccessException;
+import ghidra.program.util.ProgramConflictException;
+import ghidra.util.SystemUtilities;
+import ghidra.util.exception.AssertException;
+import ghidra.util.exception.CancelledException;
+import ghidra.util.task.TaskMonitor;
+
 /**
  * Class for merging bookmark changes. This class can merge non-conflicting
  * bookmark changes that were made to the checked out version. It can determine
@@ -168,8 +169,8 @@ class BookmarkMerger extends AbstractListingMerger {
 			if (latest.length == 1) {
 				String latestCategory = latest[0].getCategory();
 				String latestComment = latest[0].getComment();
-				if (!originalCategory.equals(latestCategory) ||
-					!originalComment.equals(latestComment)) {
+				if (!SystemUtilities.isEqual(originalCategory, latestCategory) ||
+					!SystemUtilities.isEqual(originalComment, latestComment)) {
 					// MY deleted and LATEST changed, so conflict.
 					addConflict(addr, originalType, null);
 				}
@@ -182,8 +183,8 @@ class BookmarkMerger extends AbstractListingMerger {
 		else if (my.length == 1) {
 			String myCategory = my[0].getCategory();
 			String myComment = my[0].getComment();
-			if (!originalCategory.equals(myCategory) ||
-				!originalComment.equals(myComment)) {
+			if (!SystemUtilities.isEqual(originalCategory, myCategory) ||
+				!SystemUtilities.isEqual(originalComment, myComment)) {
 				// Changed in MY
 				if (latest.length == 0) {
 					// MY changed and LATEST deleted, so conflict.
@@ -192,8 +193,10 @@ class BookmarkMerger extends AbstractListingMerger {
 				else if (latest.length == 1) {
 					String latestCategory = latest[0].getCategory();
 					String latestComment = latest[0].getComment();
-					if ((!originalCategory.equals(latestCategory) || !originalComment.equals(latestComment)) &&
-						(!myCategory.equals(latestCategory) || !myComment.equals(latestComment))) {
+					if ((!SystemUtilities.isEqual(originalCategory, latestCategory) ||
+						!SystemUtilities.isEqual(originalComment, latestComment)) &&
+						(!SystemUtilities.isEqual(myCategory, latestCategory) ||
+							!SystemUtilities.isEqual(myComment, latestComment))) {
 						// MY changed and LATEST changed differently
 						addConflict(addr, originalType, null);
 					}
@@ -220,7 +223,7 @@ class BookmarkMerger extends AbstractListingMerger {
 			// Deleted in MY
 			if (latest != null) {
 				String latestComment = latest.getComment();
-				if (!originalComment.equals(latestComment)) {
+				if (!SystemUtilities.isEqual(originalComment, latestComment)) {
 					// MY deleted and LATEST changed, so conflict.
 					addConflict(addr, originalType, originalCategory);
 				}
@@ -232,7 +235,7 @@ class BookmarkMerger extends AbstractListingMerger {
 		}
 		else {
 			String myComment = my.getComment();
-			if (!originalComment.equals(myComment)) {
+			if (!SystemUtilities.isEqual(originalComment, myComment)) {
 				// Changed in MY
 				if (latest == null) {
 					// MY changed and LATEST deleted, so conflict.
@@ -240,8 +243,8 @@ class BookmarkMerger extends AbstractListingMerger {
 				}
 				else {
 					String latestComment = latest.getComment();
-					if (!originalComment.equals(latestComment) &&
-						!myComment.equals(latestComment)) {
+					if (!SystemUtilities.isEqual(originalComment, latestComment) &&
+						!SystemUtilities.isEqual(myComment, latestComment)) {
 						// MY changed and LATEST changed differently
 						addConflict(addr, originalType, originalCategory);
 					}
@@ -291,8 +294,8 @@ class BookmarkMerger extends AbstractListingMerger {
 			else if (latest.length == 1) {
 				String latestCategory = latest[0].getCategory();
 				String latestComment = latest[0].getComment();
-				if (!myCategory.equals(latestCategory) ||
-					!myComment.equals(latestComment)) {
+				if (!SystemUtilities.isEqual(myCategory, latestCategory) ||
+					!SystemUtilities.isEqual(myComment, latestComment)) {
 					// MY & LATEST added different NOTEs, so conflict.
 					addConflict(addr, myType, null);
 				}
@@ -316,7 +319,7 @@ class BookmarkMerger extends AbstractListingMerger {
 			}
 			else {
 				String latestComment = latest.getComment();
-				if (!myComment.equals(latestComment)) {
+				if (!SystemUtilities.isEqual(myComment, latestComment)) {
 					// MY & LATEST added same bookmark w/ different comments, so conflict.
 					addConflict(addr, myType, myCategory);
 				}
diff --git a/Ghidra/Framework/SoftwareModeling/src/main/java/ghidra/program/database/bookmark/BookmarkDB.java b/Ghidra/Framework/SoftwareModeling/src/main/java/ghidra/program/database/bookmark/BookmarkDB.java
index b31726a805..61f779b54b 100644
--- a/Ghidra/Framework/SoftwareModeling/src/main/java/ghidra/program/database/bookmark/BookmarkDB.java
+++ b/Ghidra/Framework/SoftwareModeling/src/main/java/ghidra/program/database/bookmark/BookmarkDB.java
@@ -76,7 +76,8 @@ public class BookmarkDB extends DatabaseObject implements Bookmark {
 
 	@Override
 	public String getCategory() {
-		return record.getString(BookmarkDBAdapter.CATEGORY_COL);
+		String category = record.getString(BookmarkDBAdapter.CATEGORY_COL);
+		return category != null ? category : ""; // NOTE: Old data may have stored null
 	}
 
 	public void setComment(String comment) {
@@ -92,7 +93,8 @@ public class BookmarkDB extends DatabaseObject implements Bookmark {
 
 	@Override
 	public String getComment() {
-		return record.getString(BookmarkDBAdapter.COMMENT_COL);
+		String comment = record.getString(BookmarkDBAdapter.COMMENT_COL);
+		return comment != null ? comment : ""; // NOTE: Old data may have stored null
 	}
 
 	@Override
diff --git a/Ghidra/Framework/SoftwareModeling/src/main/java/ghidra/program/database/bookmark/BookmarkDBAdapterV3.java b/Ghidra/Framework/SoftwareModeling/src/main/java/ghidra/program/database/bookmark/BookmarkDBAdapterV3.java
index b2de91bb4e..4104e58b6e 100644
--- a/Ghidra/Framework/SoftwareModeling/src/main/java/ghidra/program/database/bookmark/BookmarkDBAdapterV3.java
+++ b/Ghidra/Framework/SoftwareModeling/src/main/java/ghidra/program/database/bookmark/BookmarkDBAdapterV3.java
@@ -4,9 +4,9 @@
  * 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.
@@ -206,6 +206,11 @@ public class BookmarkDBAdapterV3 extends BookmarkDBAdapter {
 			return null;
 		}
 
+		if (category == null)
+			category = "";
+		if (comment == null)
+			comment = "";
+
 		Table table = tables[typeID];
 		long nextId = table.getKey() + 1;
 		long id = ((long) typeID << TYPE_ID_OFFSET) | nextId;