diff --git a/api/src/test/java/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/servlet/setup/RDFFilesLoaderTest.java b/api/src/test/java/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/servlet/setup/RDFFilesLoaderTest.java
index 3ccf9b4b9..8476aaad8 100644
--- a/api/src/test/java/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/servlet/setup/RDFFilesLoaderTest.java
+++ b/api/src/test/java/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/servlet/setup/RDFFilesLoaderTest.java
@@ -1,6 +1,5 @@
 package edu.cornell.mannlib.vitro.webapp.servlet.setup;
 
-import static org.junit.Assert.assertEquals;
 import static org.junit.Assert.assertTrue;
 
 import java.io.StringReader;
@@ -22,21 +21,23 @@ public class RDFFilesLoaderTest extends AbstractTestClass {
                 + ":n1 rdfs:label \"fish 'n' chips\"@en-GB . \n"
                 + ":n1 rdfs:label \"fish and fries\"@en-US . \n"                
                 + ":n2 rdfs:label \"tube\"@en-GB . \n"
-                + ":n2 rdfs:label \"subway; eat fresh\"@en-US . \n"
-                + ":n2 rdfs:label \"metrou\"@ro-RO . \n";
+                + ":n2 rdfs:label \"Subway!\"@en-US . \n"
+                + ":n2 rdfs:label \"metrou\"@ro-RO . \n";        
         
         // the backup of the previous state of the firsttime file
         String backupModelRdf = "@prefix rdfs: <" + RDFS.getURI() + "> .\n"
                 + "@prefix : <http://example.com/individual/> .\n"
                 + ":n1 rdfs:label \"fish 'n' chips\"@en-GB . \n"          
-                + ":n2 rdfs:label \"tube\"@en-GB . \n";
+                + ":n2 rdfs:label \"tube\"@en-GB . \n"
+                + ":n2 rdfs:label \"nooo\"@no-NO . \n";
         
         // the current state of the user-editable model        
         String userModelRdf = "@prefix rdfs: <" + RDFS.getURI() + "> .\n"
                 + "@prefix : <http://example.com/individual/> .\n"
                 + ":n1 rdfs:label \"fish and chips\"@en-GB . \n"          
                 + ":n2 rdfs:label \"tube\"@en-GB . \n"
-                + ":n2 rdfs:label \"subway\"@en-US . \n";
+                + ":n2 rdfs:label \"subway\"@en-US . \n"
+                + ":n2 rdfs:label \"nooo\"@no-NO . \n";
         
         // the expected state of the user-editable model after firsttime
         // updates have been applied
@@ -65,10 +66,70 @@ public class RDFFilesLoaderTest extends AbstractTestClass {
         
         userModel.remove(retractionsModel);
         userModel.add(additionsModel);
-        
+                
+        // For any given triple (S, P, O) changed in the fileModel, it
+        // should only be propagated to the user model if the user model
+        // doesn't already have a conflicting triple (S, P, X) where O and X 
+        // have the same language tag.
         assertTrue("expected: " + userModelExpected + " but was: " + userModel,
                 userModelExpected.isIsomorphicWith(userModel));
         
     }
+    
+    @org.junit.Test
+    public void testFirsttimeUpdateEmptyBackup() {
+        
+        // the current state of the firsttime file on the filesystem
+        String fileModelRdf = "@prefix rdfs: <" + RDFS.getURI() + "> .\n"
+                + "@prefix : <http://example.com/individual/> .\n"
+                + ":n1 rdfs:label \"fish 'n' chips\"@en-GB . \n"
+                + ":n1 rdfs:label \"fish and fries\"@en-US . \n"                
+                + ":n2 rdfs:label \"tube\"@en-GB . \n"
+                + ":n2 rdfs:label \"Subway!\"@en-US . \n"
+                + ":n2 rdfs:label \"metrou\"@ro-RO . \n";       
+        
+        // the current state of the user-editable model        
+        String userModelRdf = "@prefix rdfs: <" + RDFS.getURI() + "> .\n"
+                + "@prefix : <http://example.com/individual/> .\n"
+                + ":n1 rdfs:label \"fish and chips\"@en-GB . \n"          
+                + ":n2 rdfs:label \"tube\"@en-GB . \n"
+                + ":n2 rdfs:label \"subway\"@en-US . \n"
+                + ":n2 rdfs:label \"nooo\"@no-NO . \n";
+        
+        // the expected state of the user-editable model after firsttime
+        // updates have been applied
+        String userModelExpectedRdf = "@prefix rdfs: <" + RDFS.getURI() + "> .\n"
+                + "@prefix : <http://example.com/individual/> .\n"
+                + ":n1 rdfs:label \"fish and chips\"@en-GB . \n"
+                + ":n1 rdfs:label \"fish and fries\"@en-US . \n"                
+                + ":n2 rdfs:label \"tube\"@en-GB . \n"
+                + ":n2 rdfs:label \"subway\"@en-US . \n"
+                + ":n2 rdfs:label \"metrou\"@ro-RO . \n"
+                + ":n2 rdfs:label \"nooo\"@no-NO . \n";
+        
+        Model fileModel = ModelFactory.createDefaultModel();
+        fileModel.read(new StringReader(fileModelRdf), null, "N3");
+        Model backupModel = ModelFactory.createDefaultModel();
+        Model userModel = ModelFactory.createDefaultModel();
+        userModel.read(new StringReader(userModelRdf), null, "N3");
+        Model userModelExpected = ModelFactory.createDefaultModel();
+        userModelExpected.read(new StringReader(userModelExpectedRdf), null, "N3");
+        
+        Model additionsModel = fileModel.difference(backupModel);
+        Model retractionsModel = backupModel.difference(fileModel);
+        
+        RDFFilesLoader.checkUiChangesOverlapWithFileChanges(backupModel, userModel, additionsModel);
+        RDFFilesLoader.checkUiChangesOverlapWithFileChanges(backupModel, userModel, retractionsModel);
+        
+        userModel.remove(retractionsModel);
+        userModel.add(additionsModel);
+        
+        // For any given triple (S, P, O) found in the fileModel, it
+        // should only be propagated to the user model if the user model
+        // doesn't already have a conflicting triple (S, P, X) where O and X 
+        // have the same language tag.
+        assertTrue("expected: " + userModelExpected + " but was: " + userModel,
+                userModelExpected.isIsomorphicWith(userModel));        
+    }
 
 }