diff --git a/edbob/files.py b/edbob/files.py
index f3501ba..e50a8af 100644
--- a/edbob/files.py
+++ b/edbob/files.py
@@ -31,9 +31,10 @@ import os
 import os.path
 import shutil
 import tempfile
+import lockfile
 
 
-__all__ = ['change_newlines', 'count_lines', 'temp_path']
+__all__ = ['temp_path']
 
 
 class DosFile(file):
@@ -45,6 +46,27 @@ class DosFile(file):
         super(DosFile, self).write(string.replace(os.linesep, '\r\n'))
 
 
+def locking_copy(src, dst):
+    """
+    Implements a "locking" version of ``shutil.copy()``.
+
+    This function exists to provide a more atomic method for copying a file
+    into a Linux folder which is being watched by a file monitor running on the
+    Linux machine.  This is necessary because it is not practical to watch for
+    any particular ``pyinotify`` event in order to know when the file is "free"
+    - at least in the case of a simple copy.  The reason for this is that
+    ``shutil.copy()`` first copies the file, but then will attempt to change
+    its attributes.  Under normal circumstances it would seem best to respond
+    to the "create" (or "write close") event on the file, but in this case the
+    attribute update really must occur before the watched file is processed.
+    """
+
+    fn = os.path.basename(src)
+    dst = os.path.join(dst, fn)
+    with lockfile.FileLock(dst):
+        shutil.copy(src, dst)
+
+
 def change_newlines(path, newline):
     """
     Rewrites the file at ``path``, changing its newline character(s) to that of
diff --git a/setup.py b/setup.py
index f908d4d..6317aab 100644
--- a/setup.py
+++ b/setup.py
@@ -71,6 +71,7 @@ requires = [
     # package                           # low                   high
 
     'decorator',                        # 3.3.2
+    'lockfile',                         # 0.9.1
     'progressbar',                      # 2.3
     'pytz',                             # 2012b
     ]