diff --git a/inception/inception-brat-editor/src/main/ts/src/dispatcher/Dispatcher.ts b/inception/inception-brat-editor/src/main/ts/src/dispatcher/Dispatcher.ts
index f527f420b59..5247d80e981 100644
--- a/inception/inception-brat-editor/src/main/ts/src/dispatcher/Dispatcher.ts
+++ b/inception/inception-brat-editor/src/main/ts/src/dispatcher/Dispatcher.ts
@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@ export type Message = 'dispatchAsynchError' | 'collectionLoaded' | 'requestRende
   | 'svgWidth' | 'configurationUpdated' | 'newSourceData' | 'init' | 'click'
   | 'contextmenu' | 'isReloadOkay' | 'spanAndAttributeTypesLoaded'
   | 'keydown' | 'dragstart' | 'mousedown' | 'mouseup' | 'mousemove'
-  | 'displaySpanComment' | 'displayArcComment' | 'displaySentComment' | 'hideComment'
+  | 'displaySpanComment' | 'displayArcComment' | 'displaySentComment'
   | 'resize' | 'displaySpanButtons' | 'configurationChanged'
   | 'mouseover' | 'mouseout' | 'dblclick' | 'keypress' | 'touchstart' | 'touchend'
   | 'collectionChanged' | 'renderData' | 'renderDataPatch' | 'triggerRender'
diff --git a/inception/inception-brat-editor/src/main/ts/src/visualizer/Visualizer.ts b/inception/inception-brat-editor/src/main/ts/src/visualizer/Visualizer.ts
index 2d1d419ff66..b955af01a58 100644
--- a/inception/inception-brat-editor/src/main/ts/src/visualizer/Visualizer.ts
+++ b/inception/inception-brat-editor/src/main/ts/src/visualizer/Visualizer.ts
@@ -3788,7 +3788,6 @@ export class Visualizer {
 
     const target = evt.target
     target.classList.remove('badTarget')
-    this.dispatcher.post('hideComment')
 
     if (this.highlight) {
       this.highlight.map(h => h.remove())
diff --git a/inception/inception-brat-editor/src/main/ts/src/visualizer_ui/VisualizerUI.ts b/inception/inception-brat-editor/src/main/ts/src/visualizer_ui/VisualizerUI.ts
index c7f9b42e593..380ce9e2470 100644
--- a/inception/inception-brat-editor/src/main/ts/src/visualizer_ui/VisualizerUI.ts
+++ b/inception/inception-brat-editor/src/main/ts/src/visualizer_ui/VisualizerUI.ts
@@ -41,9 +41,8 @@ import type { Dispatcher } from '../dispatcher/Dispatcher'
 
 import { INSTANCE as Configuration } from '../configuration/Configuration'
 
-import { INSTANCE as Util } from '../util/Util'
 import { DocumentData } from '../visualizer/DocumentData'
-import { RelationTypeDto, EntityTypeDto, VID, CommentType } from '../protocol/Protocol'
+import { RelationTypeDto, EntityTypeDto, VID } from '../protocol/Protocol'
 import { DiamAjax, Offsets } from '@inception-project/inception-js-api'
 import { Entity } from '../visualizer/Entity'
 import { AttributeType } from '../visualizer/AttributeType'
@@ -55,25 +54,16 @@ export class VisualizerUI {
 
   private dispatcher: Dispatcher
 
-  private commentPopup: JQuery
-  private commentDisplayed = false
-  private displayCommentTimer: number | undefined = undefined
-
   private ajax: DiamAjax
 
   constructor (dispatcher: Dispatcher, ajax: DiamAjax) {
     console.debug('Setting up brat visualizer-ui module...')
 
     this.ajax = ajax
-    this.commentPopup = $('#commentpopup')
     this.dispatcher = dispatcher
     this.dispatcher
       .on('init', this, this.init)
       .on('dataReady', this, this.rememberData)
-//      .on('displaySpanComment', this, this.displaySpanComment)
-//      .on('displayArcComment', this, this.displayArcComment)
-//      .on('displaySentComment', this, this.displaySentComment)
-      .on('hideComment', this, this.hideComment)
       .on('resize', this, this.onResize)
       .on('spanAndAttributeTypesLoaded', this, this.spanAndAttributeTypesLoaded)
       .on('doneRendering', this, this.onDoneRendering)
@@ -84,231 +74,6 @@ export class VisualizerUI {
       .on('contextmenu', this, this.contextMenu)
   }
 
-  /* START comment popup - related */
-
-  /**
-   * @deprecated To be replaced with the new Popover component
-   */
-  adjustToCursor (evt: MouseEvent, element, offset, top, right) {
-    // get the real width, without wrapping
-    element.css({ left: 0, top: 0 })
-    const screenWidth = $(window).width()
-    // FIXME why the hell is this 22 necessary?!?
-    const elementHeight = element.height() + 22
-    const elementWidth = element.width() + 22
-    let x, y
-    offset = offset || 0
-    if (top) {
-      y = evt.clientY - elementHeight - offset
-      if (y < 0) { top = false }
-    }
-    if (!top) {
-      y = evt.clientY + offset
-    }
-    if (right) {
-      x = evt.clientX + offset
-      if (x >= screenWidth - elementWidth) { right = false }
-    }
-    if (!right) {
-      x = evt.clientX - elementWidth - offset
-    }
-    if (y < 0) { y = 0 }
-    if (x < 0) { x = 0 }
-    element.css({ top: y, left: x })
-  }
-
-  /**
-   * @deprecated To be replaced with the new Popover component
-   */
-  displaySentComment (evt: MouseEvent, commentText: string, commentType: CommentType) {
-    this.displayComment(evt, '', commentText, commentType)
-  }
-
-  /**
-   * @deprecated To be replaced with the new Popover component
-   */
-  displayComment (evt: MouseEvent, comment: string, commentText: string, commentType: CommentType, immediately?: boolean) {
-    let idtype = ''
-    if (commentType) {
-      // label comment by type, with special case for default note type
-      let commentLabel: string
-      if (commentType === 'AnnotatorNotes') {
-        commentLabel = '<b>Note:</b> '
-      } else {
-        commentLabel = '<b>' + Util.escapeHTML(commentType) + ':</b> '
-      }
-      comment += '<hr/>'
-      comment += commentLabel + Util.escapeHTMLwithNewlines(commentText)
-      idtype = 'comment_' + commentType
-    }
-    this.commentPopup[0].className = idtype
-    this.commentPopup.html(comment)
-    this.adjustToCursor(evt, this.commentPopup, 10, true, true)
-    clearTimeout(this.displayCommentTimer)
-    /* slight "tooltip" delay to allow highlights to be seen
-               before the popup obstructs them. */
-    this.displayCommentTimer = setTimeout(() => {
-      this.commentPopup.show()
-      this.commentDisplayed = true
-    }, immediately ? 0 : 500)
-  }
-
-  // to avoid clobbering on delayed response
-  commentPopupNormInfoSeqId = 0
-
-  /**
-   * @deprecated To be replaced with the new Popover component
-   */
-  compareLazyDetails (a, b) {
-    // images at the top
-    if (a[0].toLowerCase() === '<img>') return -1
-    if (b[0].toLowerCase() === '<img>') return 1
-    // otherwise stable
-    return Util.cmp(a[2], b[2])
-  }
-
-  /**
-   * @deprecated To be replaced with the new Popover component
-   */
-  displaySpanComment (evt, target, spanId, spanType, mods, spanText, hoverText,
-    commentText, commentType) {
-    const immediately = false
-    let comment = ('<div><span class="comment_type_id_wrapper">' +
-      '<span class="comment_type">' + Util.escapeHTML(Util.spanDisplayForm(this.spanTypes, spanType)) + '</span>' + ' ' +
-      '<span class="comment_id">' + 'ID:' + Util.escapeHTML(spanId) + '</span></span>')
-    if (mods.length) {
-      comment += '<div>' + Util.escapeHTML(mods.join(', ')) + '</div>'
-    }
-
-    comment += '</div>'
-
-    if (hoverText != null) {
-      comment += ('<div class="comment_text">' + Util.escapeHTML(hoverText) + '</div>')
-    } else if (spanText) {
-      comment += ('<div class="comment_text">"' + Util.escapeHTML(spanText) + '"</div>')
-    }
-
-    comment += '<div id="lazy_details_drop_point"></div>'
-
-    // display initial comment HTML
-    this.displayComment(evt, comment, commentText, commentType, immediately)
-
-    // initiate AJAX calls for the normalization data to query
-    this.initiateNormalizationAjaxCall(spanId, spanType)
-  }
-
-  /**
-   * @deprecated To be replaced with the new Popover component
-   */
-  displayArcComment (evt, target, symmetric, arcId, originSpanId, originSpanType,
-    role, targetSpanId, targetSpanType, commentText, commentType) {
-    if (!this.data) return
-    const arcRole = target.attr('data-arc-role')
-    // in arrowStr, &#8212 == mdash, &#8594 == Unicode right arrow
-    const arrowStr = symmetric ? '&#8212;' : '&#8594;'
-    const arcDisplayForm = Util.arcDisplayForm(this.spanTypes, this.data.spans[originSpanId].type, arcRole, this.relationTypesHash)
-    let comment = ''
-    comment += ('<span class="comment_type_id_wrapper">' +
-      '<span class="comment_type">' + Util.escapeHTML(Util.spanDisplayForm(this.spanTypes, originSpanType)) + ' ' + arrowStr + ' ' + Util.escapeHTML(arcDisplayForm) + ' ' + arrowStr + ' ' + Util.escapeHTML(Util.spanDisplayForm(this.spanTypes, targetSpanType)) + '</span>' +
-      '<span class="comment_id">' + (arcId ? 'ID:' + arcId : Util.escapeHTML(originSpanId) + arrowStr + Util.escapeHTML(targetSpanId)) + '</span>' +
-      '</span>')
-    comment += ('<div class="comment_text">' + Util.escapeHTML('"' + this.data.spans[originSpanId].text + '"') + arrowStr + Util.escapeHTML('"' + this.data.spans[targetSpanId].text + '"') + '</div>')
-    comment += '<div id="lazy_details_drop_point"></div>'
-
-    this.displayComment(evt, comment, commentText, commentType)
-
-    // initiate AJAX calls for the normalization data to query
-    this.initiateNormalizationAjaxCall(arcId, arcRole)
-  }
-
-  /**
-   * @deprecated To be replaced with the new Popover component
-   */
-  initiateNormalizationAjaxCall (id: VID, type: number) {
-    this.ajax.loadLazyDetails(id, type).then(detailGroups => {
-      // extend comment popup with normalization data
-      let norminfo = ''
-
-      for (const group of detailGroups) {
-        const details = group.details
-        // flatten outer (name, attr, info) array (idx for sort)
-        let infos: [string, string, number][] = []
-        let idx = 0
-        for (let j = 0; j < details.length; j++) {
-          infos.push([details[j].label, details[j].value, idx++])
-        }
-
-        // sort, prioritizing images (to get floats right)
-        infos = infos.sort(this.compareLazyDetails)
-
-        // generate HTML
-        if (group.title) {
-          norminfo += `<hr/>
-            <span class="comment_id">${group.title}</span>
-            <br/>`
-        }
-
-        for (let i = 0; i < infos.length; i++) {
-          const label = infos[i][0] as string
-          let value = infos[i][1] as string
-          if (label && value) {
-            // special treatment for some label values
-            if (label.toLowerCase() === '<img>') {
-              norminfo += `<img class="norm_info_img" crossorigin src="${value}"/>`
-            } else {
-              // normal, as text max length restriction
-              if (value.length > 300) {
-                value = value.substr(0, 300) + ' ...'
-              }
-
-              norminfo += `<span class="norm_info_label">${Util.escapeHTML(label)}</span>
-                            <span class="norm_info_value">: ${Util.escapeHTML(value)?.replace(/\n/g, '<br/>')}</span>
-                            <br/>`
-            }
-          }
-        }
-      }
-
-      const drop = $('#lazy_details_drop_point')
-      if (drop) {
-        drop.html(norminfo)
-      } else {
-        console.log('Lazy details drop point not found!') // TODO XXX
-      }
-    })
-  }
-
-  /**
-   * @deprecated To be replaced with the new Popover component
-   */
-  hideComment () {
-    clearTimeout(this.displayCommentTimer)
-    if (this.commentDisplayed) {
-      // BEGIN WEBANNO EXTENSION - #1610 - Improve brat visualization interaction performance
-      // - Show/hide comments immediately instead of using an animation to avoid costly reflows
-      /*
-                              commentPopup.stop(true, true).fadeOut(0, function() {
-                                  commentDisplayed = false;
-                              });
-      */
-      this.commentPopup.hide()
-      this.commentDisplayed = false
-      // END WEBANNO EXTENSION - #1610 - Improve brat visualization interaction performance
-    }
-    clearTimeout(this.displayButtonsTimer)
-  }
-
-  /**
-   * @deprecated To be replaced with the new Popover component
-   */
-  onMouseMove (evt: MouseEvent) {
-    if (this.commentDisplayed) {
-      this.adjustToCursor(evt, this.commentPopup, 10, true, true)
-    }
-  }
-
-  /* END comment popup - related */
-
   // BEGIN WEBANNO EXTENSION - #1697 - Explicit UI for accepting/recejcting recommendations
   displayButtonsTimer: number | undefined = undefined
   buttonsShown = false
@@ -370,8 +135,6 @@ export class VisualizerUI {
         width: acceptBtn.width() * 2 + spanWidth
       })
       .mouseleave(this.hideSpanButtons)
-    // hide the buttons when comments are hidden (i.e. mouse left the span)
-    this.dispatcher.on('hideComment', this, this.hideSpanButtons)
 
     clearTimeout(this.displayButtonsTimer)
     this.displayButtonsTimer = setTimeout(() => {