diff --git a/mitmproxy/models/http.py b/mitmproxy/models/http.py
index 40460182e..4bba35f1b 100644
--- a/mitmproxy/models/http.py
+++ b/mitmproxy/models/http.py
@@ -26,14 +26,6 @@ class MessageMixin(object):
             return self.content
         return encoding.decode(ce, self.content)
 
-    def copy(self):
-        c = copy.copy(self)
-        if hasattr(self, "data"):  # FIXME remove condition
-            c.data = copy.copy(self.data)
-
-        c.headers = self.headers.copy()
-        return c
-
     def replace(self, pattern, repl, *args, **kwargs):
         """
             Replaces a regular expression pattern with repl in both the headers
diff --git a/netlib/http/headers.py b/netlib/http/headers.py
index 9b8fdae4a..bcb828da6 100644
--- a/netlib/http/headers.py
+++ b/netlib/http/headers.py
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ Unicode Handling
 See also: http://lucumr.pocoo.org/2013/7/2/the-updated-guide-to-unicode/
 """
 from __future__ import absolute_import, print_function, division
-import copy
+
 try:
     from collections.abc import MutableMapping
 except ImportError:  # pragma: no cover
@@ -190,9 +190,6 @@ class Headers(MutableMapping, Serializable):
             [name, value] for value in values
         )
 
-    def copy(self):
-        return Headers(copy.copy(self.fields))
-
     def get_state(self):
         return tuple(tuple(field) for field in self.fields)
 
diff --git a/netlib/http/message.py b/netlib/http/message.py
index b6d846baa..b265ac4ff 100644
--- a/netlib/http/message.py
+++ b/netlib/http/message.py
@@ -43,9 +43,6 @@ class MessageData(utils.Serializable):
 
 
 class Message(utils.Serializable):
-    def __init__(self, data):
-        self.data = data
-
     def __eq__(self, other):
         if isinstance(other, Message):
             return self.data == other.data
@@ -62,6 +59,7 @@ class Message(utils.Serializable):
 
     @classmethod
     def from_state(cls, state):
+        state["headers"] = Headers.from_state(state["headers"])
         return cls(**state)
 
     @property
diff --git a/netlib/http/request.py b/netlib/http/request.py
index d35c1874e..5bd2547ed 100644
--- a/netlib/http/request.py
+++ b/netlib/http/request.py
@@ -42,8 +42,7 @@ class Request(Message):
     An HTTP request.
     """
     def __init__(self, *args, **kwargs):
-        data = RequestData(*args, **kwargs)
-        super(Request, self).__init__(data)
+        self.data = RequestData(*args, **kwargs)
 
     def __repr__(self):
         if self.host and self.port:
diff --git a/netlib/http/response.py b/netlib/http/response.py
index da2c81421..8af3c0412 100644
--- a/netlib/http/response.py
+++ b/netlib/http/response.py
@@ -29,8 +29,7 @@ class Response(Message):
     An HTTP response.
     """
     def __init__(self, *args, **kwargs):
-        data = ResponseData(*args, **kwargs)
-        super(Response, self).__init__(data)
+        self.data = ResponseData(*args, **kwargs)
 
     def __repr__(self):
         if self.content:
diff --git a/netlib/utils.py b/netlib/utils.py
index f7bb5c4bd..09be29d92 100644
--- a/netlib/utils.py
+++ b/netlib/utils.py
@@ -41,6 +41,9 @@ class Serializable(object):
         """
         raise NotImplementedError()
 
+    def copy(self):
+        return self.from_state(self.get_state())
+
 
 def always_bytes(unicode_or_bytes, *encode_args):
     if isinstance(unicode_or_bytes, six.text_type):
diff --git a/test/netlib/test_utils.py b/test/netlib/test_utils.py
index b096e5bca..fcb63eb2f 100644
--- a/test/netlib/test_utils.py
+++ b/test/netlib/test_utils.py
@@ -139,3 +139,30 @@ def test_parse_content_type():
 
     v = p("text/html; charset=UTF-8")
     assert v == ('text', 'html', {'charset': 'UTF-8'})
+
+
+class SerializableDummy(utils.Serializable):
+    def __init__(self, i):
+        self.i = i
+
+    def get_state(self):
+        return self.i
+
+    def set_state(self, i):
+        self.i = i
+
+    def from_state(self, state):
+        return type(self)(state)
+
+
+class TestSerializable:
+
+    def test_copy(self):
+        a = SerializableDummy(42)
+        assert a.i == 42
+        b = a.copy()
+        assert b.i == 42
+
+        a.set_state(1)
+        assert a.i == 1
+        assert b.i == 42