diff --git a/gramps/cli/grampscli.py b/gramps/cli/grampscli.py
index d19e95762..e883a8a12 100644
--- a/gramps/cli/grampscli.py
+++ b/gramps/cli/grampscli.py
@@ -297,7 +297,10 @@ class CLIManager(object):
         # apply preferred researcher if loaded file has none
         res = self.dbstate.db.get_researcher()
         owner = get_researcher()
-        if res.get_name() == "" and owner.get_name() != "":
+        # If the DB Owner Info is empty and
+        # [default] Researcher is not empty and
+        # database is empty, then copy default researcher to DB owner
+        if res.is_empty() and not owner.is_empty() and self.dbstate.db.is_empty():
             self.dbstate.db.set_researcher(owner)
         
         name_displayer.set_name_format(self.dbstate.db.name_formats)
diff --git a/gramps/gen/db/read.py b/gramps/gen/db/read.py
index c7c243a45..d14695bb8 100644
--- a/gramps/gen/db/read.py
+++ b/gramps/gen/db/read.py
@@ -1014,6 +1014,18 @@ class DbBsddbRead(DbReadBase, Callback):
         """
         return self.get_number_of_records(self.tag_map)
 
+    def is_empty(self):
+        """
+        Return true if there are no [primary] records in the database
+        """
+        for obj_map in [self.person_map, self.family_map, self.event_map,
+                        self.place_map, self.source_map, self.citation_map,
+                        self.media_map, self.repository_map, self.note_map,
+                        self.tag_map]:
+            if self.get_number_of_records(obj_map) > 0:
+                return False
+            return True
+
     def all_handles(self, table):
         """ return all the keys of a database table
 
diff --git a/gramps/gen/lib/researcher.py b/gramps/gen/lib/researcher.py
index f8f4d40e9..f735557c9 100644
--- a/gramps/gen/lib/researcher.py
+++ b/gramps/gen/lib/researcher.py
@@ -166,3 +166,10 @@ class Researcher(LocationBase):
             ['name', 'addr', 'locality', 'city', 'state', 
              'country', 'postal', 'phone', 'email']
             ]
+
+    def is_empty(self):
+        for attr in ['name', 'addr', 'locality', 'city', 'state',
+             'country', 'postal', 'phone', 'email']:
+            if getattr(self, attr) != "":
+                return False
+        return True
diff --git a/gramps/plugins/importer/importxml.py b/gramps/plugins/importer/importxml.py
index 890da47a8..b9d3bd4c7 100644
--- a/gramps/plugins/importer/importxml.py
+++ b/gramps/plugins/importer/importxml.py
@@ -518,6 +518,10 @@ class GrampsParser(UpdateCallback):
         self.replace_import_handle = (self.db.get_number_of_people() > 0 and
                                       not LOG.isEnabledFor(logging.DEBUG))
         
+        # Similarly, if the data is imported into an empty family tree, we also
+        # import the Researcher; if the tree was not empty, the existing
+        # Researcher is retained
+        self.import_researcher = self.db.is_empty()
         self.ord = None
         self.objref = None
         self.object = None
@@ -956,7 +960,10 @@ class GrampsParser(UpdateCallback):
                 # Register new formats
                 name_displayer.set_name_format(self.db.name_formats)
     
-            self.db.set_researcher(self.owner)
+            # If the database was originally empty we update the researcher from
+            # the XML (or initialised to no researcher)
+            if self.import_researcher:
+                self.db.set_researcher(self.owner)
             if self.home is not None:
                 person = self.db.get_person_from_handle(self.home)
                 self.db.set_default_person_handle(person.handle)
diff --git a/gramps/plugins/lib/libgedcom.py b/gramps/plugins/lib/libgedcom.py
index 0044fd023..f754fd767 100644
--- a/gramps/plugins/lib/libgedcom.py
+++ b/gramps/plugins/lib/libgedcom.py
@@ -1868,6 +1868,7 @@ class GedcomParser(UpdateCallback):
         self.number_of_errors = 0
         self.maxpeople = stage_one.get_person_count()
         self.dbase = dbase
+        self.import_researcher = self.dbase.is_empty()
         self.emapper = IdFinder(dbase.get_gramps_ids(EVENT_KEY),
                                 dbase.event_prefix)
         self.famc_map = stage_one.get_famc_map()
@@ -3317,7 +3318,7 @@ class GedcomParser(UpdateCallback):
         self.__parse_level(state, self.subm_parse_tbl, self.__undefined)
         # If this is the submitter that we were told about in the HEADer, then 
         # we will need to update the researcher
-        if line.token_text == self.subm:
+        if line.token_text == self.subm and self.import_researcher:
             self.dbase.set_researcher(state.res)
         
         submitter_name = _("SUBM (Submitter): @%s@") % line.token_text