diff --git a/docs/settings.rst b/docs/settings.rst
index d021bcb0..70341a3f 100644
--- a/docs/settings.rst
+++ b/docs/settings.rst
@@ -602,7 +602,10 @@ Setting name (default value)                        What does it do?
                                                     `THEME_STATIC_PATHS`. Default is `theme`.
 `THEME_STATIC_PATHS` (``['static']``)               Static theme paths you want to copy. Default
                                                     value is `static`, but if your theme has
-                                                    other static paths, you can put them here.
+                                                    other static paths, you can put them here. If files
+                                                    or directories with the same names are included in
+                                                    the paths defined in this settings, they will be
+                                                    progressively overwritten.
 `CSS_FILE` (``'main.css'``)                         Specify the CSS file you want to load.
 ================================================    =====================================================
 
diff --git a/pelican/generators.py b/pelican/generators.py
index 26fa40ea..d695c7c8 100644
--- a/pelican/generators.py
+++ b/pelican/generators.py
@@ -544,7 +544,7 @@ class StaticGenerator(Generator):
         """Copy all the paths from source to destination"""
         for path in paths:
             copy(path, source, os.path.join(output_path, destination),
-                 final_path, overwrite=True)
+                 final_path)
 
     def generate_context(self):
         self.staticfiles = []
diff --git a/pelican/tests/test_pelican.py b/pelican/tests/test_pelican.py
index d6c0d8e9..e829e1a5 100644
--- a/pelican/tests/test_pelican.py
+++ b/pelican/tests/test_pelican.py
@@ -92,3 +92,23 @@ class TestPelican(LoggedTestCase):
         mute(True)(pelican.run)()
         dcmp = dircmp(self.temp_path, os.path.join(OUTPUT_PATH, 'custom'))
         self.assertFilesEqual(recursiveDiff(dcmp))
+
+    def test_theme_static_paths_copy(self):
+        # the same thing with a specified set of settings should work
+        settings = read_settings(path=SAMPLE_CONFIG, override={
+            'PATH': INPUT_PATH,
+            'OUTPUT_PATH': self.temp_path,
+            'THEME_STATIC_PATHS': [os.path.join(SAMPLES_PATH, 'very'),
+                                   os.path.join(SAMPLES_PATH, 'kinda'),
+                                   os.path.join(SAMPLES_PATH, 'theme_standard')]
+            })
+        pelican = Pelican(settings=settings)
+        mute(True)(pelican.run)()
+        theme_output = os.path.join(self.temp_path, 'theme')
+        extra_path = os.path.join(theme_output, 'exciting', 'new', 'files')
+
+        for file in ['a_stylesheet', 'a_template']:
+            self.assertTrue(os.path.exists(os.path.join(theme_output, file)))
+
+        for file in ['wow!', 'boom!', 'bap!', 'zap!']:
+            self.assertTrue(os.path.exists(os.path.join(extra_path, file)))
diff --git a/pelican/utils.py b/pelican/utils.py
index 054c1f40..d306de65 100644
--- a/pelican/utils.py
+++ b/pelican/utils.py
@@ -256,7 +256,7 @@ def slugify(value, substitutions=()):
     return value.decode('ascii')
 
 
-def copy(path, source, destination, destination_path=None, overwrite=False):
+def copy(path, source, destination, destination_path=None):
     """Copy path from origin to destination.
 
     The function is able to copy either files or directories.
@@ -265,8 +265,6 @@ def copy(path, source, destination, destination_path=None, overwrite=False):
     :param source: the source dir
     :param destination: the destination dir
     :param destination_path: the destination path (optional)
-    :param overwrite: whether to overwrite the destination if already exists
-                      or not
     """
     if not destination_path:
         destination_path = path
@@ -275,16 +273,24 @@ def copy(path, source, destination, destination_path=None, overwrite=False):
     destination_ = os.path.abspath(
         os.path.expanduser(os.path.join(destination, destination_path)))
 
+    def recurse(source, destination):
+        for entry in os.listdir(source):
+            entry_path = os.path.join(source, entry)
+            if os.path.isdir(entry_path):
+                entry_dest = os.path.join(destination, entry)
+                if os.path.exists(entry_dest):
+                    if not os.path.isdir(entry_dest):
+                        raise IOError('Failed to copy {0} a directory.'
+                                      .format(entry_dest))
+                    recurse(entry_path, entry_dest)
+                else:
+                    shutil.copytree(entry_path, entry_dest)
+            else:
+                shutil.copy(entry_path, destination)
+
+
     if os.path.isdir(source_):
-        try:
-            shutil.copytree(source_, destination_)
-            logger.info('copying %s to %s' % (source_, destination_))
-        except OSError:
-            if overwrite:
-                shutil.rmtree(destination_)
-                shutil.copytree(source_, destination_)
-                logger.info('replacement of %s with %s' % (source_,
-                    destination_))
+        recurse(source_, destination_)
 
     elif os.path.isfile(source_):
         dest_dir = os.path.dirname(destination_)
diff --git a/samples/kinda/exciting/new/files/zap! b/samples/kinda/exciting/new/files/zap!
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..e69de29b
diff --git a/samples/kinda/exciting/old b/samples/kinda/exciting/old
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..e69de29b
diff --git a/samples/theme_standard/a_stylesheet b/samples/theme_standard/a_stylesheet
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..e69de29b
diff --git a/samples/theme_standard/a_template b/samples/theme_standard/a_template
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..e69de29b
diff --git a/samples/very/exciting/new/files/bap! b/samples/very/exciting/new/files/bap!
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..e69de29b
diff --git a/samples/very/exciting/new/files/boom! b/samples/very/exciting/new/files/boom!
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..e69de29b
diff --git a/samples/very/exciting/new/files/wow! b/samples/very/exciting/new/files/wow!
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..e69de29b