diff --git a/common/lib/xmodule/xmodule/modulestore/store_utilities.py b/common/lib/xmodule/xmodule/modulestore/store_utilities.py
index e90613d0da..6beffcb71d 100644
--- a/common/lib/xmodule/xmodule/modulestore/store_utilities.py
+++ b/common/lib/xmodule/xmodule/modulestore/store_utilities.py
@@ -13,10 +13,19 @@ def clone_course(modulestore, contentstore, source_location, dest_location, dele
     if not modulestore.has_item(dest_location):
         raise Exception("An empty course at {0} must have already been created. Aborting...".format(dest_location))
 
-    # verify that the dest_location really is an empty course, which means only one
+    # verify that the dest_location really is an empty course, which means only one with an optional 'overview'
     dest_modules = modulestore.get_items([dest_location.tag, dest_location.org, dest_location.course, None, None, None])
 
-    if len(dest_modules) != 1:
+    basically_empty = True
+    for module in dest_modules:
+        if module.location.category == 'course' or (module.location.category == 'about'
+                                                    and module.location.name == 'overview'):
+            continue
+
+        basically_empty = False
+        break
+
+    if not basically_empty:
         raise Exception("Course at destination {0} is not an empty course. You can only clone into an empty course. Aborting...".format(dest_location))
 
     # check to see if the source course is actually there