diff --git a/api/handler/copy.go b/api/handler/copy.go
index 50b11b8e6..bfe6eb8f0 100644
--- a/api/handler/copy.go
+++ b/api/handler/copy.go
@@ -84,6 +84,12 @@ func (h *handler) CopyObjectHandler(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
 		return
 	}
 
+	settings, err := h.obj.GetBucketSettings(r.Context(), dstBktInfo)
+	if err != nil {
+		h.logAndSendError(w, "could not get bucket settings", reqInfo, err)
+		return
+	}
+
 	if containsACL {
 		if sessionTokenEACL, err = getSessionTokenSetEACL(r.Context()); err != nil {
 			h.logAndSendError(w, "could not get eacl session token from a box", reqInfo, err)
@@ -103,6 +109,11 @@ func (h *handler) CopyObjectHandler(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
 		return
 	}
 
+	if isCopyingToItselfForbidden(reqInfo, srcBucket, srcObject, settings, args) {
+		h.logAndSendError(w, "copying to itself without changing anything", reqInfo, errors.GetAPIError(errors.ErrInvalidCopyDest))
+		return
+	}
+
 	if args.MetadataDirective == replaceDirective {
 		metadata = parseMetadata(r)
 	}
@@ -169,12 +180,6 @@ func (h *handler) CopyObjectHandler(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
 		CopiesNuber: copiesNumber,
 	}
 
-	settings, err := h.obj.GetBucketSettings(r.Context(), dstBktInfo)
-	if err != nil {
-		h.logAndSendError(w, "could not get bucket settings", reqInfo, err)
-		return
-	}
-
 	params.Lock, err = formObjectLock(dstBktInfo, settings.LockConfiguration, r.Header)
 	if err != nil {
 		h.logAndSendError(w, "could not form object lock", reqInfo, err)
@@ -241,6 +246,18 @@ func (h *handler) CopyObjectHandler(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
 	}
 }
 
+func isCopyingToItselfForbidden(reqInfo *api.ReqInfo, srcBucket string, srcObject string, settings *data.BucketSettings, args *copyObjectArgs) bool {
+	if reqInfo.BucketName != srcBucket || reqInfo.ObjectName != srcObject {
+		return false
+	}
+
+	if !settings.Unversioned() {
+		return false
+	}
+
+	return args.MetadataDirective != replaceDirective
+}
+
 func parseCopyObjectArgs(headers http.Header) (*copyObjectArgs, error) {
 	var err error
 	args := &conditionalArgs{
diff --git a/api/handler/copy_test.go b/api/handler/copy_test.go
index 01b412a58..316d360fc 100644
--- a/api/handler/copy_test.go
+++ b/api/handler/copy_test.go
@@ -29,21 +29,41 @@ func TestCopyWithTaggingDirective(t *testing.T) {
 	copyMeta := CopyMeta{
 		Tags: map[string]string{"key2": "val"},
 	}
-	copyObject(t, tc, bktName, objName, objToCopy, copyMeta)
+	copyObject(t, tc, bktName, objName, objToCopy, copyMeta, http.StatusOK)
 	tagging := getObjectTagging(t, tc, bktName, objToCopy, emptyVersion)
 	require.Len(t, tagging.TagSet, 1)
 	require.Equal(t, "key", tagging.TagSet[0].Key)
 	require.Equal(t, "val", tagging.TagSet[0].Value)
 
 	copyMeta.TaggingDirective = replaceDirective
-	copyObject(t, tc, bktName, objName, objToCopy2, copyMeta)
+	copyObject(t, tc, bktName, objName, objToCopy2, copyMeta, http.StatusOK)
 	tagging = getObjectTagging(t, tc, bktName, objToCopy2, emptyVersion)
 	require.Len(t, tagging.TagSet, 1)
 	require.Equal(t, "key2", tagging.TagSet[0].Key)
 	require.Equal(t, "val", tagging.TagSet[0].Value)
 }
 
-func copyObject(t *testing.T, tc *handlerContext, bktName, fromObject, toObject string, copyMeta CopyMeta) {
+func TestCopyToItself(t *testing.T) {
+	tc := prepareHandlerContext(t)
+
+	bktName, objName := "bucket-for-copy", "object-for-copy"
+	createBucketAndObject(t, tc, bktName, objName)
+
+	copyMeta := CopyMeta{MetadataDirective: replaceDirective}
+
+	copyObject(t, tc, bktName, objName, objName, CopyMeta{}, http.StatusBadRequest)
+	copyObject(t, tc, bktName, objName, objName, copyMeta, http.StatusOK)
+
+	putBucketVersioning(t, tc, bktName, true)
+	copyObject(t, tc, bktName, objName, objName, CopyMeta{}, http.StatusOK)
+	copyObject(t, tc, bktName, objName, objName, copyMeta, http.StatusOK)
+
+	putBucketVersioning(t, tc, bktName, false)
+	copyObject(t, tc, bktName, objName, objName, CopyMeta{}, http.StatusOK)
+	copyObject(t, tc, bktName, objName, objName, copyMeta, http.StatusOK)
+}
+
+func copyObject(t *testing.T, tc *handlerContext, bktName, fromObject, toObject string, copyMeta CopyMeta, statusCode int) {
 	w, r := prepareTestRequest(t, bktName, toObject, nil)
 	r.Header.Set(api.AmzCopySource, bktName+"/"+fromObject)
 
@@ -60,7 +80,7 @@ func copyObject(t *testing.T, tc *handlerContext, bktName, fromObject, toObject
 	r.Header.Set(api.AmzTagging, tagsQuery.Encode())
 
 	tc.Handler().CopyObjectHandler(w, r)
-	assertStatus(t, w, http.StatusOK)
+	assertStatus(t, w, statusCode)
 }
 
 func putObjectTagging(t *testing.T, tc *handlerContext, bktName, objName string, tags map[string]string) {