diff --git a/atom.go b/atom.go
index f00314f..b5e6671 100644
--- a/atom.go
+++ b/atom.go
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 package atom
 
 import (
-	"encoding/xml"
 	"fmt"
 	"mime"
 	"regexp"
@@ -87,9 +86,3 @@ func isValidLanguageTag(tag LanguageTag) bool {
 func NewURN() IRI {
 	return IRI(fmt.Sprint("urn:uuid:", uuid.New()))
 }
-
-// isValidXML checks whether a string is valid XML. It returns a bool.
-func isValidXML(input string) bool {
-	var v interface{}
-	return xml.Unmarshal([]byte(input), &v) == nil
-}