diff --git a/pkg/kubelet/config/config.go b/pkg/kubelet/config/config.go
index 0ecd6bbf5d2..ed7869dfb01 100644
--- a/pkg/kubelet/config/config.go
+++ b/pkg/kubelet/config/config.go
@@ -491,12 +491,7 @@ func (s *podStorage) MergedState() interface{} {
 	pods := make([]*v1.Pod, 0)
 	for _, sourcePods := range s.pods {
 		for _, podRef := range sourcePods {
-			pod, err := api.Scheme.Copy(podRef)
-			if err != nil {
-				glog.Errorf("unable to copy pod: %v", err)
-				continue
-			}
-			pods = append(pods, pod.(*v1.Pod))
+			pods = append(pods, podRef.DeepCopy())
 		}
 	}
 	return pods
@@ -506,12 +501,7 @@ func copyPods(sourcePods []*v1.Pod) []*v1.Pod {
 	pods := []*v1.Pod{}
 	for _, source := range sourcePods {
 		// Use a deep copy here just in case
-		pod, err := api.Scheme.Copy(source)
-		if err != nil {
-			glog.Errorf("unable to copy pod: %v", err)
-			continue
-		}
-		pods = append(pods, pod.(*v1.Pod))
+		pods = append(pods, source.DeepCopy())
 	}
 	return pods
 }
diff --git a/pkg/kubelet/kubelet_resources.go b/pkg/kubelet/kubelet_resources.go
index 15e4d9ac238..e8f5525e8b0 100644
--- a/pkg/kubelet/kubelet_resources.go
+++ b/pkg/kubelet/kubelet_resources.go
@@ -44,14 +44,7 @@ func (kl *Kubelet) defaultPodLimitsForDownwardAPI(pod *v1.Pod, container *v1.Con
 	}
 	allocatable := node.Status.Allocatable
 	glog.Infof("allocatable: %v", allocatable)
-	podCopy, err := scheme.Scheme.Copy(pod)
-	if err != nil {
-		return nil, nil, fmt.Errorf("failed to perform a deep copy of pod object: %v", err)
-	}
-	outputPod, ok := podCopy.(*v1.Pod)
-	if !ok {
-		return nil, nil, fmt.Errorf("unexpected type returned from deep copy of pod object")
-	}
+	outputPod := pod.DeepCopy()
 	for idx := range outputPod.Spec.Containers {
 		resource.MergeContainerResourceLimits(&outputPod.Spec.Containers[idx], allocatable)
 	}
@@ -62,6 +55,7 @@ func (kl *Kubelet) defaultPodLimitsForDownwardAPI(pod *v1.Pod, container *v1.Con
 		if err != nil {
 			return nil, nil, fmt.Errorf("failed to perform a deep copy of container object: %v", err)
 		}
+		var ok bool
 		outputContainer, ok = containerCopy.(*v1.Container)
 		if !ok {
 			return nil, nil, fmt.Errorf("unexpected type returned from deep copy of container object")
diff --git a/pkg/kubemark/controller.go b/pkg/kubemark/controller.go
index 48fafcc0f54..aa7482ea3be 100644
--- a/pkg/kubemark/controller.go
+++ b/pkg/kubemark/controller.go
@@ -31,7 +31,6 @@ import (
 	kubeclient "k8s.io/client-go/kubernetes"
 	listersv1 "k8s.io/client-go/listers/core/v1"
 	"k8s.io/client-go/tools/cache"
-	"k8s.io/kubernetes/pkg/api"
 	"k8s.io/kubernetes/pkg/controller"
 
 	"github.com/golang/glog"
@@ -221,15 +220,12 @@ func (kubemarkController *KubemarkController) GetNodeGroupForNode(node string) (
 }
 
 func (kubemarkController *KubemarkController) addNodeToNodeGroup(nodeGroup string) error {
-	templateCopy, err := api.Scheme.Copy(kubemarkController.nodeTemplate)
-	if err != nil {
-		return err
-	}
-	node := templateCopy.(*apiv1.ReplicationController)
+	node := kubemarkController.nodeTemplate.DeepCopy()
 	node.Name = fmt.Sprintf("%s-%d", nodeGroup, kubemarkController.rand.Int63())
 	node.Labels = map[string]string{nodeGroupLabel: nodeGroup, "name": node.Name}
 	node.Spec.Template.Labels = node.Labels
 
+	var err error
 	for i := 0; i < numRetries; i++ {
 		_, err = kubemarkController.externalCluster.client.CoreV1().ReplicationControllers(node.Namespace).Create(node)
 		if err == nil {
diff --git a/pkg/registry/rbac/helpers.go b/pkg/registry/rbac/helpers.go
index 011d12ea053..ca0b7188569 100644
--- a/pkg/registry/rbac/helpers.go
+++ b/pkg/registry/rbac/helpers.go
@@ -20,18 +20,13 @@ import (
 	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/api/meta"
 	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/conversion"
 	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/runtime"
-	kapi "k8s.io/kubernetes/pkg/api"
 )
 
 // IsOnlyMutatingGCFields checks finalizers and ownerrefs which GC manipulates
 // and indicates that only those fields are changing
 func IsOnlyMutatingGCFields(obj, old runtime.Object, equalities conversion.Equalities) bool {
 	// make a copy of the newObj so that we can stomp for comparison
-	copied, err := kapi.Scheme.Copy(obj)
-	if err != nil {
-		// if we couldn't copy, don't fail, just make it do the check
-		return false
-	}
+	copied := obj.DeepCopyObject()
 	copiedMeta, err := meta.Accessor(copied)
 	if err != nil {
 		return false
diff --git a/staging/src/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/runtime/scheme.go b/staging/src/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/runtime/scheme.go
index c3d4b7f5f8e..abfe6f53941 100644
--- a/staging/src/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/runtime/scheme.go
+++ b/staging/src/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/runtime/scheme.go
@@ -420,15 +420,6 @@ func (s *Scheme) Default(src Object) {
 	}
 }
 
-// Copy does a deep copy of an API object.
-func (s *Scheme) Copy(src Object) (Object, error) {
-	dst, err := s.DeepCopy(src)
-	if err != nil {
-		return nil, err
-	}
-	return dst.(Object), nil
-}
-
 // Performs a deep copy of the given object.
 func (s *Scheme) DeepCopy(src interface{}) (interface{}, error) {
 	return s.cloner.DeepCopy(src)
diff --git a/staging/src/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/runtime/serializer/versioning/versioning.go b/staging/src/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/runtime/serializer/versioning/versioning.go
index 74ad84dd95e..37e9d8058de 100644
--- a/staging/src/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/runtime/serializer/versioning/versioning.go
+++ b/staging/src/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/runtime/serializer/versioning/versioning.go
@@ -123,12 +123,7 @@ func (c *codec) Decode(data []byte, defaultGVK *schema.GroupVersionKind, into ru
 		if c.defaulter != nil {
 			// create a copy to ensure defaulting is not applied to the original versioned objects
 			if isVersioned {
-				copied, err := c.copier.Copy(obj)
-				if err != nil {
-					utilruntime.HandleError(err)
-					copied = obj
-				}
-				versioned.Objects = []runtime.Object{copied}
+				versioned.Objects = []runtime.Object{obj.DeepCopyObject()}
 			}
 			c.defaulter.Default(obj)
 		} else {
@@ -151,12 +146,7 @@ func (c *codec) Decode(data []byte, defaultGVK *schema.GroupVersionKind, into ru
 	// Convert if needed.
 	if isVersioned {
 		// create a copy, because ConvertToVersion does not guarantee non-mutation of objects
-		copied, err := c.copier.Copy(obj)
-		if err != nil {
-			utilruntime.HandleError(err)
-			copied = obj
-		}
-		versioned.Objects = []runtime.Object{copied}
+		versioned.Objects = []runtime.Object{obj.DeepCopyObject()}
 	}
 
 	// perform defaulting if requested