diff --git a/aws/s3/core/src/main/java/org/jclouds/aws/s3/commands/CopyObject.java b/aws/s3/core/src/main/java/org/jclouds/aws/s3/commands/CopyObject.java
index 358ec3b89b..d3356d6bd2 100644
--- a/aws/s3/core/src/main/java/org/jclouds/aws/s3/commands/CopyObject.java
+++ b/aws/s3/core/src/main/java/org/jclouds/aws/s3/commands/CopyObject.java
@@ -29,6 +29,7 @@ import org.jclouds.aws.s3.commands.options.CopyObjectOptions;
 import org.jclouds.aws.s3.domain.S3Object;
 import org.jclouds.aws.s3.xml.CopyObjectHandler;
 import org.jclouds.http.commands.callables.xml.ParseSax;
+import org.jclouds.util.Utils;
 
 import com.google.inject.Inject;
 import com.google.inject.assistedinject.Assisted;
@@ -45,7 +46,8 @@ import com.google.inject.name.Named;
  * {@link CopyObjectOptions#overrideAcl(org.jclouds.aws.s3.domain.acl.CannedAccessPolicy)
  * specify a new ACL} when generating a copy request.
  * 
- * @see <a href="http://docs.amazonwebservices.com/AmazonS3/2006-03-01/index.html?RESTObjectCOPY.html" />
+ * @see <a href="http://docs.amazonwebservices.com/AmazonS3/2006-03-01/index.html?RESTObjectCOPY.html"
+ *      />
  * @see CopyObjectOptions
  * @see org.jclouds.aws.s3.domain.acl.CannedAccessPolicy
  * @author Adrian Cole
@@ -53,24 +55,24 @@ import com.google.inject.name.Named;
  */
 public class CopyObject extends S3FutureCommand<S3Object.Metadata> {
 
-    @Inject
-    public CopyObject(@Named("jclouds.http.address") String amazonHost,
-	    ParseSax<S3Object.Metadata> callable,
-	    @Assisted("sourceBucket") String sourceBucket,
-	    @Assisted("sourceObject") String sourceObject,
-	    @Assisted("destinationBucket") String destinationBucket,
-	    @Assisted("destinationObject") String destinationObject,
-	    @Assisted CopyObjectOptions options) {
-	super("PUT",
-		"/" + checkNotNull(destinationObject, "destinationObject"),
-		callable, amazonHost, destinationBucket);
-	CopyObjectHandler handler = (CopyObjectHandler) callable.getHandler();
-	handler.setKey(destinationObject);
-	getRequest().getHeaders().put(
-		"x-amz-copy-source",
-		String.format("/%1$s/%2$s", checkNotNull(sourceBucket,
-			"sourceBucket"), checkNotNull(sourceObject,
-			"sourceObject")));
-	getRequest().getHeaders().putAll(options.buildRequestHeaders());
-    }
+   @Inject
+   public CopyObject(@Named("jclouds.http.address") String amazonHost,
+         ParseSax<S3Object.Metadata> callable, @Assisted("sourceBucket") String sourceBucket,
+         @Assisted("sourceObject") String sourceObject,
+         @Assisted("destinationBucket") String destinationBucket,
+         @Assisted("destinationObject") String destinationObject,
+         @Assisted CopyObjectOptions options) 
+   {
+      super("PUT", 
+            "/" + checkNotNull(destinationObject, "destinationObject"),
+            callable, amazonHost, destinationBucket);
+      CopyObjectHandler handler = (CopyObjectHandler) callable.getHandler();
+      handler.setKey(destinationObject);
+      getRequest().getHeaders().put(
+            "x-amz-copy-source",
+            String.format("/%1$s/%2$s", 
+                  checkNotNull(sourceBucket, "sourceBucket"), 
+                  Utils.encodeUriPath(checkNotNull(sourceObject, "sourceObject"))));
+      getRequest().getHeaders().putAll(options.buildRequestHeaders());
+   }
 }
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/org/jclouds/http/HttpRequest.java b/core/src/main/java/org/jclouds/http/HttpRequest.java
index 58cd71fa08..21d4c7d49b 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/org/jclouds/http/HttpRequest.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/org/jclouds/http/HttpRequest.java
@@ -26,12 +26,11 @@ package org.jclouds.http;
 import static com.google.common.base.Preconditions.checkNotNull;
 
 import java.io.InputStream;
-import java.io.UnsupportedEncodingException;
-import java.net.URLEncoder;
 
 import javax.annotation.Resource;
 
 import org.jclouds.logging.Logger;
+import org.jclouds.util.Utils;
 
 /**
  * Represents a request that can be executed within
@@ -50,7 +49,7 @@ public class HttpRequest extends HttpMessage {
 
     public HttpRequest(String method, String uri) {
 	this.method = checkNotNull(method, "method");
-	this.uri = encodeUri(checkNotNull(uri, "uri"));
+	this.uri = Utils.encodeUriPath(checkNotNull(uri, "uri"));
     }
 
     @Override
@@ -90,33 +89,4 @@ public class HttpRequest extends HttpMessage {
 	this.payload = content;
     }
     
-    /**
-     * Encode a path portion of a URI using the UTF-8 encoding, but leave slash '/' 
-     * characters and any parameters (anything after the first '?') unencoded.
-     * If encoding with UTF-8 fails, the method falls back to using the 
-     * system's default encoding.
-     * 
-     * @param uri
-     * @return
-     */
-   protected String encodeUri(String uri) {
-      String path, params = "";
-
-      int offset;
-      if ((offset = uri.indexOf('?')) >= 0) {
-         path = uri.substring(0, offset);
-         params = uri.substring(offset);
-      } else {
-         path = uri;
-      }
-      
-      String encodedUri;
-      try {
-         encodedUri = URLEncoder.encode(path, "UTF-8");
-      } catch (UnsupportedEncodingException e) {
-         encodedUri = URLEncoder.encode(path);
-      }
-      return encodedUri.replace("%2F", "/") + params;
-   }
-
 }
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/org/jclouds/util/Utils.java b/core/src/main/java/org/jclouds/util/Utils.java
index 945c3f1e52..583052bdbb 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/org/jclouds/util/Utils.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/org/jclouds/util/Utils.java
@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@ package org.jclouds.util;
 import java.io.IOException;
 import java.io.InputStream;
 import java.io.UnsupportedEncodingException;
+import java.net.URLEncoder;
 import java.util.concurrent.ExecutionException;
 
 import javax.annotation.Resource;
@@ -144,5 +145,35 @@ public class Utils {
     public static String decodeString(byte[] bytes) {
        return decodeString(bytes, UTF8_ENCODING);
     }
-    
+
+    /**
+     * Encode a path portion of a URI using the UTF-8 encoding, but leave slash '/' 
+     * characters and any parameters (anything after the first '?') un-encoded.
+     * If encoding with UTF-8 fails, the method falls back to using the 
+     * system's default encoding.
+     * 
+     * @param uri
+     * @return
+     */
+    @SuppressWarnings("deprecation")
+    public static String encodeUriPath(String uri) {
+       String path, params = "";
+      
+       int offset;
+       if ((offset = uri.indexOf('?')) >= 0) {
+          path = uri.substring(0, offset);
+          params = uri.substring(offset);
+       } else {
+          path = uri;
+       }
+      
+       String encodedUri;
+       try {
+          encodedUri = URLEncoder.encode(path, "UTF-8");
+       } catch (UnsupportedEncodingException e) {
+          encodedUri = URLEncoder.encode(path);
+       }
+       return encodedUri.replace("%2F", "/") + params;
+    }
+
 }