diff --git a/src/cdi.h b/src/cdi.h
index b736662f67699e7472e3c02c0176b4c036329717..6577cbcaa02c6f7b5f47a017bb898fbf5a4056b5 100644
--- a/src/cdi.h
+++ b/src/cdi.h
@@ -707,6 +707,8 @@ int     cdiInqNatts(int cdiID, int varID, int *nattsp);
 int     cdiInqAtt(int cdiID, int varID, int attrnum, char *name, int *typep, int *lenp);
 int     cdiDelAtt(int cdiID, int varID, const char *name);
 
+int     cdiCopyAtts(int cdiID1, int varID1, int cdiID2, int varID2);
+
 /*      cdiDefAttInt: Define an integer attribute */
 int     cdiDefAttInt(int cdiID, int varID, const char *name, int type, int len, const int ip[]);
 /*      cdiDefAttFlt: Define a floating point attribute */
diff --git a/src/cdi_att.c b/src/cdi_att.c
index 5a3a0cac99b2a34ee41b1d3f754643e7509f24ff..2f1450d6b7f1f62d24b8373acf284b4ca6dff698 100644
--- a/src/cdi_att.c
+++ b/src/cdi_att.c
@@ -289,17 +289,17 @@ int cdi_inq_att(int indtype, int cdiID, int varID, const char *name, size_t mxsz
 }
 
 
-int cdiCopyVarAtts(int cdiID1, int varID_1, int cdiID2, int varID_2)
+int cdiCopyAtts(int cdiID1, int varID1, int cdiID2, int varID2)
 {
   int status = CDI_NOERR;
 
-  cdi_atts_t *attsp1 = cdi_get_attsp(cdiID1, varID_1);
+  cdi_atts_t *attsp1 = cdi_get_attsp(cdiID1, varID1);
   xassert(attsp1 != NULL);
 
   for ( int attid = 0; attid < (int)attsp1->nelems; attid++ )
     {
       cdi_att_t *attp = &(attsp1->value[attid]);
-      cdi_def_att(attp->indtype, attp->exdtype, cdiID2, varID_2, attp->name, attp->nelems, attp->xsz, attp->xvalue);
+      cdi_def_att(attp->indtype, attp->exdtype, cdiID2, varID2, attp->name, attp->nelems, attp->xsz, attp->xvalue);
     }
 
   return status;
diff --git a/src/vlist.c b/src/vlist.c
index eddd332cb3e08c85f470dea8fa38b68c2099bd7e..672108793e245f983d10fd15ac5455e25d5e4fb7 100644
--- a/src/vlist.c
+++ b/src/vlist.c
@@ -344,7 +344,7 @@ void vlistCopy(int vlistID2, int vlistID1)
   var_t *vars2 = vlistptr2->vars;
   vlist_copy(vlistptr2, vlistptr1);
 
-  cdiCopyVarAtts(vlistID1, CDI_GLOBAL, vlistID2, CDI_GLOBAL);
+  cdiCopyAtts(vlistID1, CDI_GLOBAL, vlistID2, CDI_GLOBAL);
 
   if ( vars1 )
     {
@@ -361,7 +361,7 @@ void vlistCopy(int vlistID2, int vlistID1)
           var_copy_entries(&vars2[varID], &vars1[varID]);
 
           vlistptr2->vars[varID].atts.nelems = 0;
-	  cdiCopyVarAtts(vlistID1, varID, vlistID2, varID);
+	  cdiCopyAtts(vlistID1, varID, vlistID2, varID);
 
           if ( vars1[varID].levinfo )
             {
@@ -526,7 +526,7 @@ void vlistCopyFlag(int vlistID2, int vlistID1)
 
   vlist_copy(vlistptr2, vlistptr1);
 
-  cdiCopyVarAtts(vlistID1, CDI_GLOBAL, vlistID2, CDI_GLOBAL);
+  cdiCopyAtts(vlistID1, CDI_GLOBAL, vlistID2, CDI_GLOBAL);
 
   if ( vlistptr1->vars )
     {
@@ -567,7 +567,7 @@ void vlistCopyFlag(int vlistID2, int vlistID1)
             var_copy_entries(&vars2[varID2], &vars1[varID]);
 
 	    vlistptr2->vars[varID2].atts.nelems = 0;
-	    cdiCopyVarAtts(vlistID1, varID, vlistID2, varID2);
+	    cdiCopyAtts(vlistID1, varID, vlistID2, varID2);
 
 	    int nlevs  = zaxisInqSize(vars1[varID].zaxisID);
 	    int nlevs2 = 0;
@@ -741,7 +741,7 @@ void vlistCat(int vlistID2, int vlistID1)
         }
 
       vars2[varID2].atts.nelems = 0;
-      cdiCopyVarAtts(vlistID1, varID, vlistID2, varID2);
+      cdiCopyAtts(vlistID1, varID, vlistID2, varID2);
 
       vlistAdd2GridIDs(vlistptr2, vars1[varID].gridID);
       vlistAdd2ZaxisIDs(vlistptr2, vars1[varID].zaxisID);
diff --git a/src/vlist.h b/src/vlist.h
index 60542387c827f2cd41c3368315ac90a60ff26855..0b633a7b1b8baac84da13544d9232bc4f229fcec 100644
--- a/src/vlist.h
+++ b/src/vlist.h
@@ -133,7 +133,6 @@ int      vlistInqVarMissvalUsed(int vlistID, int varID);
 int      vlistHasTime(int vlistID);
 
 int      cdiDelAtts(int vlistID, int varID);
-int      cdiCopyVarAtts(int vlistID1, int varID_1, int vlistID2, int varID_2);
 
 void     vlistUnpack(char * buffer, int bufferSize, int * pos,
                      int originNamespace, void *context, int force_id);