diff --git a/content/base/public/nsISelectionController.idl b/content/base/public/nsISelectionController.idl
index 4c9f4b6bec2..82614c13c52 100644
--- a/content/base/public/nsISelectionController.idl
+++ b/content/base/public/nsISelectionController.idl
@@ -51,7 +51,7 @@ interface nsIDOMNode;
 interface nsISelection;
 interface nsISelectionDisplay;
 
-[scriptable, uuid(80d2e85a-4ad2-45be-88e7-8c1fe943ac4d)]
+[scriptable, uuid(513b9460-d56a-4c4e-b6f9-0b8ae4372a3b)]
 interface nsISelectionController : nsISelectionDisplay
 {
    const short SELECTION_NONE=0;
@@ -140,6 +140,13 @@ interface nsISelectionController : nsISelectionDisplay
    */
     boolean getCaretEnabled();
 
+    /**
+    * This is true if the caret is enabled, visible, and currently blinking.
+    * This is still true when the caret is enabled, visible, but in its "off"
+    * blink cycle.
+    */
+    readonly attribute boolean caretVisible;
+    
    /**
    * Show the caret even in selections. By default the caret is hidden unless the
    * selection is collapsed. Use this function to show the caret even in selections.
@@ -252,6 +259,6 @@ interface nsISelectionController : nsISelectionDisplay
 };
 %{ C++
    #define NS_ISELECTIONCONTROLLER_CID \
-   { 0xd2d1d179, 0x85a7, 0x11d3, \
-   { 0x99, 0x32, 0x0, 0x10, 0x83, 0x1, 0x23, 0x3c }}
+   { 0x513b9460, 0xd56a, 0x4c4e, \
+   { 0xb6, 0xf9, 0x0b, 0x8a, 0xe4, 0x37, 0x2a, 0x3b }}
 %}
diff --git a/layout/base/nsCaret.cpp b/layout/base/nsCaret.cpp
index 6812346f8d3..19153aebff5 100644
--- a/layout/base/nsCaret.cpp
+++ b/layout/base/nsCaret.cpp
@@ -242,7 +242,7 @@ NS_IMETHODIMP nsCaret::SetCaretVisible(PRBool inMakeVisible)
 NS_IMETHODIMP nsCaret::GetCaretVisible(PRBool *outMakeVisible)
 {
   NS_ENSURE_ARG_POINTER(outMakeVisible);
-  *outMakeVisible = mVisible;
+  *outMakeVisible = (mVisible && MustDrawCaret(PR_TRUE));
   return NS_OK;
 }
 
diff --git a/layout/base/nsPresShell.cpp b/layout/base/nsPresShell.cpp
index 14c58981912..264ebadcf5f 100644
--- a/layout/base/nsPresShell.cpp
+++ b/layout/base/nsPresShell.cpp
@@ -920,6 +920,7 @@ public:
   NS_IMETHOD SetCaretReadOnly(PRBool aReadOnly);
   NS_IMETHOD GetCaretEnabled(PRBool *aOutEnabled);
   NS_IMETHOD SetCaretVisibilityDuringSelection(PRBool aVisibility);
+  NS_IMETHOD GetCaretVisible(PRBool *_retval);
   virtual void SetCaret(nsICaret *aNewCaret);
   virtual void RestoreCaret();
 
@@ -2740,6 +2741,16 @@ NS_IMETHODIMP PresShell::SetCaretVisibilityDuringSelection(PRBool aVisibility)
   return NS_OK;
 }
 
+NS_IMETHODIMP PresShell::GetCaretVisible(PRBool *aOutIsVisible)
+{
+  *aOutIsVisible = PR_FALSE;
+  if (mCaret) {
+    nsresult rv = mCaret->GetCaretVisible(aOutIsVisible);
+    NS_ENSURE_SUCCESS(rv,rv);
+  }
+  return NS_OK;
+}
+
 NS_IMETHODIMP PresShell::SetSelectionFlags(PRInt16 aInEnable)
 {
   mSelectionFlags = aInEnable;
diff --git a/layout/base/tests/Makefile.in b/layout/base/tests/Makefile.in
index 83e84fa68ac..820d353323d 100644
--- a/layout/base/tests/Makefile.in
+++ b/layout/base/tests/Makefile.in
@@ -90,6 +90,7 @@ _TEST_FILES =	\
 		test_bug399951.html \
 		test_bug404209.xhtml \
 		test_bug416896.html \
+		test_bug420499.xul \
 		$(NULL)
 # test_bug396024.html is currently disabled because it interacts badly with
 # the "You can't print-preview while the page is loading" dialog.
diff --git a/layout/base/tests/test_bug420499.xul b/layout/base/tests/test_bug420499.xul
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..93757d166fd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/layout/base/tests/test_bug420499.xul
@@ -0,0 +1,95 @@
+<?xml version="1.0"?>
+<?xml-stylesheet href="chrome://global/skin" type="text/css"?>
+<?xml-stylesheet href="/tests/SimpleTest/test.css" type="text/css"?>
+<!--
+https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=420499
+-->
+<window title="Mozilla Bug 420499" onload="setTimeout(focusInput, 500);"
+  xmlns="http://www.mozilla.org/keymaster/gatekeeper/there.is.only.xul">
+  <script type="application/javascript" src="/MochiKit/packed.js" />
+  <script type="application/javascript" src="/tests/SimpleTest/SimpleTest.js"/>
+  <script type="application/javascript" src="/tests/SimpleTest/EventUtils.js"></script>
+
+  
+
+    <menu id="menu" label="Menu">
+      <menupopup id="file-popup">
+        <!-- <textbox id="some-text" maxlength="10" value="some text"/> -->
+        <menu label="submenu">
+          <menupopup id="file-popup-inner">
+
+            <menuitem label="Item1"/>
+            <menuitem label="Item2"/>
+            <textbox id="some-text" maxlength="10" value="some more text"/>
+          </menupopup>
+        </menu>
+        <menuitem label="Item3"/>
+        <menuitem label="Item4"/>
+      </menupopup>
+    </menu>
+
+
+  
+  <!-- test results are displayed in the html:body -->
+  <body xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" bgcolor="white">
+  
+  <p id="par1">Paragraph 1</p>
+  <p id="par2">Paragraph 2</p>
+  <p id="par3">Paragraph 3</p>
+  <p id="par4">Paragraph 4</p>
+  <p id="par5">Paragraph 5</p>
+
+  <input type="text" id="text-input" maxlength="10" value="some more text"/> <br />
+
+  <a href="https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=420499"
+     target="_blank">Mozilla Bug 420499</a>
+  </body>
+
+  <!-- test code goes here -->
+  <script type="application/javascript"><![CDATA[
+    
+    /** Test for Bug 420499 **/
+    SimpleTest.waitForExplicitFinish();
+
+    function getSelectionController() {
+      return document.docShell
+        .QueryInterface(Components.interfaces.nsIInterfaceRequestor)
+        .getInterface(Components.interfaces.nsISelectionDisplay)
+        .QueryInterface(Components.interfaces.nsISelectionController);
+    }
+
+    function isCaretVisible() {
+      netscape.security.PrivilegeManager.enablePrivilege("UniversalXPConnect");
+      window.QueryInterface(Components.interfaces.nsIInterfaceRequestor);
+      var docShell = window.QueryInterface(Components.interfaces.nsIInterfaceRequestor)
+                            .getInterface(Components.interfaces.nsIWebNavigation)
+                            .QueryInterface(Components.interfaces.nsIDocShell);
+      var selCon = docShell.QueryInterface(Components.interfaces.nsIInterfaceRequestor)
+        .getInterface(Components.interfaces.nsISelectionDisplay)
+        .QueryInterface(Components.interfaces.nsISelectionController);
+      return selCon.caretVisible;
+    }
+    
+    function focusInput() {
+      ok(!isCaretVisible(), "Caret shouldn't be visible");
+      $("text-input").focus();
+      ok(isCaretVisible(), "Caret should be visible when input focused");
+      window.addEventListener("popupshown", popupMenuShownHandler, false);
+      $("menu").open = true;
+    }
+    
+    function popupMenuShownHandler() {
+      window.removeEventListener("popupshown", popupMenuShownHandler, false);
+      ok(!isCaretVisible(), "Caret shouldn't be visible when menu open");
+      window.addEventListener("popuphidden", ensureParagraphFocused, false);
+      $("menu").open = false;
+    }
+    
+    function ensureParagraphFocused() {
+      window.removeEventListener("popuphidden", ensureParagraphFocused, false);
+      ok(isCaretVisible(), "Caret should have returned to previous focus");
+      SimpleTest.finish();
+    }
+
+  ]]></script>
+</window>
diff --git a/layout/forms/nsTextControlFrame.cpp b/layout/forms/nsTextControlFrame.cpp
index 4faf8bcb9a2..99842207169 100644
--- a/layout/forms/nsTextControlFrame.cpp
+++ b/layout/forms/nsTextControlFrame.cpp
@@ -579,6 +579,7 @@ public:
   NS_IMETHOD SetCaretEnabled(PRBool enabled);
   NS_IMETHOD SetCaretReadOnly(PRBool aReadOnly);
   NS_IMETHOD GetCaretEnabled(PRBool *_retval);
+  NS_IMETHOD GetCaretVisible(PRBool *_retval);
   NS_IMETHOD SetCaretVisibilityDuringSelection(PRBool aVisibility);
   NS_IMETHOD CharacterMove(PRBool aForward, PRBool aExtend);
   NS_IMETHOD CharacterExtendForDelete();
@@ -754,6 +755,12 @@ nsTextInputSelectionImpl::SetCaretReadOnly(PRBool aReadOnly)
 
 NS_IMETHODIMP
 nsTextInputSelectionImpl::GetCaretEnabled(PRBool *_retval)
+{
+  return GetCaretVisible(_retval);
+}
+
+NS_IMETHODIMP
+nsTextInputSelectionImpl::GetCaretVisible(PRBool *_retval)
 {
   if (!mPresShellWeak) return NS_ERROR_NOT_INITIALIZED;
   nsresult result;