diff --git a/src/main/java/edu/harvard/iq/dataverse/api/Files.java b/src/main/java/edu/harvard/iq/dataverse/api/Files.java
index 11616b76566..7759761f35e 100644
--- a/src/main/java/edu/harvard/iq/dataverse/api/Files.java
+++ b/src/main/java/edu/harvard/iq/dataverse/api/Files.java
@@ -390,18 +390,21 @@ public Response updateFileMetadata(@FormDataParam("jsonData") String jsonData,
 
                 JsonReader jsonReader = Json.createReader(new StringReader(jsonData));
                 javax.json.JsonObject jsonObject = jsonReader.readObject();
-                String label = jsonObject.getString("label", null);
-                String directoryLabel = jsonObject.getString("directoryLabel", null);
-                String path = "";
-                if (directoryLabel != null) {
-                    path = directoryLabel + "/";
-                }
-                if (label == null) {
-                    label = df.getFileMetadata().getLabel();
+                String incomingLabel = jsonObject.getString("label", null);
+                String incomingDirectoryLabel = jsonObject.getString("directoryLabel", null);
+                String existingLabel = df.getFileMetadata().getLabel();
+                String existingDirectoryLabel = df.getFileMetadata().getDirectoryLabel();
+                String pathPlusFilename = IngestUtil.getPathAndFileNameToCheck(incomingLabel, incomingDirectoryLabel, existingLabel, existingDirectoryLabel);
+                // We remove the current file from the list we'll check for duplicates.
+                // Instead, the current file is passed in as pathPlusFilename.
+                List<FileMetadata> fmdListMinusCurrentFile = new ArrayList<>();
+                for (FileMetadata fileMetadata : fmdList) {
+                    if (!fileMetadata.equals(df.getFileMetadata())) {
+                        fmdListMinusCurrentFile.add(fileMetadata);
+                    }
                 }
-                if (IngestUtil.conflictsWithExistingFilenames(label, directoryLabel, fmdList, df)) {
-                    String incomingPathPlusFileName = path + label;
-                    return error(BAD_REQUEST, BundleUtil.getStringFromBundle("files.api.metadata.update.duplicateFile", Arrays.asList(incomingPathPlusFileName)));
+                if (IngestUtil.conflictsWithExistingFilenames(pathPlusFilename, fmdListMinusCurrentFile)) {
+                    return error(BAD_REQUEST, BundleUtil.getStringFromBundle("files.api.metadata.update.duplicateFile", Arrays.asList(pathPlusFilename)));
                 }
 
                 optionalFileParams.addOptionalParams(upFmd);
diff --git a/src/main/java/edu/harvard/iq/dataverse/ingest/IngestUtil.java b/src/main/java/edu/harvard/iq/dataverse/ingest/IngestUtil.java
index 910d34e7b3a..0be5a58a790 100644
--- a/src/main/java/edu/harvard/iq/dataverse/ingest/IngestUtil.java
+++ b/src/main/java/edu/harvard/iq/dataverse/ingest/IngestUtil.java
@@ -101,38 +101,35 @@ public static String duplicateFilenameCheck(FileMetadata fileMetadata, Set<Strin
         return fileName;
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Given an existing file that may or may not have a directoryLabel, take
+     * the incoming label and/or directory label and combine it with what's in
+     * the existing file, overwriting and filling in as necessary.
+     */
+    public static String getPathAndFileNameToCheck(String incomingLabel, String incomingDirectoryLabel, String existingLabel, String existingDirectoryLabel) {
+        String labelToReturn = existingLabel;
+        String directoryLabelToReturn = existingDirectoryLabel;
+        if (incomingLabel != null) {
+            labelToReturn = incomingLabel;
+        }
+        if (incomingDirectoryLabel != null) {
+            directoryLabelToReturn = incomingDirectoryLabel;
+        }
+        if (directoryLabelToReturn != null) {
+            return directoryLabelToReturn + "/" + labelToReturn;
+        } else {
+            return labelToReturn;
+        }
+    }
+
     /**
      * Given a new proposed label or directoryLabel for a file, check against
      * existing files if a duplicate directoryLabel/label combination would be
      * created.
-     *
-     * @param label The new label (filename) that is being proposed. Can be
-     * null.
-     * @param directoryLabel The new directoryLabel (file path) that is being
-     * proposed. Can be null.
-     * @param fileMetadatas The list fileMetadatas to be compared against,
-     * probably from a draft.
-     * @param dataFile The file that is being updated with a new name or path.
-     * @return true if there is a conflict, false otherwise.
      */
-    public static boolean conflictsWithExistingFilenames(String label, String directoryLabel, List<FileMetadata> fileMetadatas, DataFile dataFile) {
+    public static boolean conflictsWithExistingFilenames(String pathPlusFilename, List<FileMetadata> fileMetadatas) {
         List<String> filePathsAndNames = getPathsAndFileNames(fileMetadatas);
-        if (label != null || directoryLabel != null) {
-            String path = "";
-            if (directoryLabel != null) {
-                path = directoryLabel + "/";
-            }
-            if (label == null) {
-                label = dataFile.getFileMetadata().getLabel();
-            }
-            String incomingPathPlusFileName = path + label;
-            logger.fine(filePathsAndNames.toString());
-            logger.fine("incomingPathName: " + incomingPathPlusFileName);
-            if (filePathsAndNames.contains(incomingPathPlusFileName)) {
-                return true;
-            }
-        }
-        return false;
+        return filePathsAndNames.contains(pathPlusFilename);
     }
 
     /**
diff --git a/src/test/java/edu/harvard/iq/dataverse/api/DuplicateFilesIT.java b/src/test/java/edu/harvard/iq/dataverse/api/DuplicateFilesIT.java
index deab5ee0fba..6227e96fdfa 100644
--- a/src/test/java/edu/harvard/iq/dataverse/api/DuplicateFilesIT.java
+++ b/src/test/java/edu/harvard/iq/dataverse/api/DuplicateFilesIT.java
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@
 import static javax.ws.rs.core.Response.Status.CREATED;
 import static javax.ws.rs.core.Response.Status.OK;
 import static org.hamcrest.CoreMatchers.equalTo;
+import static org.hamcrest.CoreMatchers.nullValue;
 import org.junit.BeforeClass;
 import org.junit.Test;
 
@@ -263,4 +264,233 @@ public void moveFileToDirectoryContainingSameFileName() throws IOException {
 
     }
 
+    /**
+     * In this test we make sure that other changes in the absence of label and
+     * directoryLabel go through, such as changing a file description.
+     */
+    @Test
+    public void modifyFileDescription() throws IOException {
+
+        Response createUser = UtilIT.createRandomUser();
+        createUser.prettyPrint();
+        createUser.then().assertThat()
+                .statusCode(OK.getStatusCode());
+        String username = UtilIT.getUsernameFromResponse(createUser);
+        String apiToken = UtilIT.getApiTokenFromResponse(createUser);
+
+        Response createDataverseResponse = UtilIT.createRandomDataverse(apiToken);
+        createDataverseResponse.prettyPrint();
+        createDataverseResponse.then().assertThat()
+                .statusCode(CREATED.getStatusCode());
+
+        String dataverseAlias = UtilIT.getAliasFromResponse(createDataverseResponse);
+
+        Response createDataset = UtilIT.createRandomDatasetViaNativeApi(dataverseAlias, apiToken);
+        createDataset.prettyPrint();
+        createDataset.then().assertThat()
+                .statusCode(CREATED.getStatusCode());
+
+        Integer datasetId = UtilIT.getDatasetIdFromResponse(createDataset);
+
+        Path pathtoReadme1 = Paths.get(Files.createTempDirectory(null) + File.separator + "README.md");
+        Files.write(pathtoReadme1, "File 1".getBytes());
+        System.out.println("README: " + pathtoReadme1);
+
+        Response uploadReadme1 = UtilIT.uploadFileViaNative(datasetId.toString(), pathtoReadme1.toString(), apiToken);
+        uploadReadme1.prettyPrint();
+        uploadReadme1.then().assertThat()
+                .statusCode(OK.getStatusCode())
+                .body("data.files[0].label", equalTo("README.md"));
+
+        Integer idOfReadme1 = JsonPath.from(uploadReadme1.getBody().asString()).getInt("data.files[0].dataFile.id");
+        System.out.println("id: " + idOfReadme1);
+
+        JsonObjectBuilder updateFileMetadata = Json.createObjectBuilder()
+                .add("description", "This file is awesome.");
+        Response updateFileMetadataResponse = UtilIT.updateFileMetadata(String.valueOf(idOfReadme1), updateFileMetadata.build().toString(), apiToken);
+        updateFileMetadataResponse.prettyPrint();
+        updateFileMetadataResponse.then().statusCode(OK.getStatusCode());
+
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * In this test we make sure that that if you keep the label the same, you
+     * are still able to change other metadata such as file description.
+     */
+    @Test
+    public void modifyFileDescriptionSameLabel() throws IOException {
+
+        Response createUser = UtilIT.createRandomUser();
+        createUser.prettyPrint();
+        createUser.then().assertThat()
+                .statusCode(OK.getStatusCode());
+        String username = UtilIT.getUsernameFromResponse(createUser);
+        String apiToken = UtilIT.getApiTokenFromResponse(createUser);
+
+        Response createDataverseResponse = UtilIT.createRandomDataverse(apiToken);
+        createDataverseResponse.prettyPrint();
+        createDataverseResponse.then().assertThat()
+                .statusCode(CREATED.getStatusCode());
+
+        String dataverseAlias = UtilIT.getAliasFromResponse(createDataverseResponse);
+
+        Response createDataset = UtilIT.createRandomDatasetViaNativeApi(dataverseAlias, apiToken);
+        createDataset.prettyPrint();
+        createDataset.then().assertThat()
+                .statusCode(CREATED.getStatusCode());
+
+        Integer datasetId = UtilIT.getDatasetIdFromResponse(createDataset);
+
+        Path pathtoReadme1 = Paths.get(Files.createTempDirectory(null) + File.separator + "README.md");
+        Files.write(pathtoReadme1, "File 1".getBytes());
+        System.out.println("README: " + pathtoReadme1);
+
+        JsonObjectBuilder json1 = Json.createObjectBuilder()
+                .add("directoryLabel", "code");
+
+        Response uploadReadme1 = UtilIT.uploadFileViaNative(datasetId.toString(), pathtoReadme1.toString(), json1.build(), apiToken);
+        uploadReadme1.prettyPrint();
+        uploadReadme1.then().assertThat()
+                .statusCode(OK.getStatusCode())
+                .body("data.files[0].label", equalTo("README.md"));
+
+        Integer idOfReadme1 = JsonPath.from(uploadReadme1.getBody().asString()).getInt("data.files[0].dataFile.id");
+        System.out.println("id: " + idOfReadme1);
+
+        JsonObjectBuilder updateFileMetadata = Json.createObjectBuilder()
+                .add("label", "README.md")
+                .add("directoryLabel", "code")
+                .add("description", "This file is awesome.");
+        Response updateFileMetadataResponse = UtilIT.updateFileMetadata(String.valueOf(idOfReadme1), updateFileMetadata.build().toString(), apiToken);
+        updateFileMetadataResponse.prettyPrint();
+        updateFileMetadataResponse.then().statusCode(OK.getStatusCode());
+
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * What if the directory for the file exists and you pass the filename
+     * (label) while changing the description? This should be allowed.
+     */
+    @Test
+    public void existingDirectoryPassLabelChangeDescription() throws IOException {
+
+        Response createUser = UtilIT.createRandomUser();
+        createUser.prettyPrint();
+        createUser.then().assertThat()
+                .statusCode(OK.getStatusCode());
+        String username = UtilIT.getUsernameFromResponse(createUser);
+        String apiToken = UtilIT.getApiTokenFromResponse(createUser);
+
+        Response createDataverseResponse = UtilIT.createRandomDataverse(apiToken);
+        createDataverseResponse.prettyPrint();
+        createDataverseResponse.then().assertThat()
+                .statusCode(CREATED.getStatusCode());
+
+        String dataverseAlias = UtilIT.getAliasFromResponse(createDataverseResponse);
+
+        Response createDataset = UtilIT.createRandomDatasetViaNativeApi(dataverseAlias, apiToken);
+        createDataset.prettyPrint();
+        createDataset.then().assertThat()
+                .statusCode(CREATED.getStatusCode());
+
+        Integer datasetId = UtilIT.getDatasetIdFromResponse(createDataset);
+
+        Path pathToFile = Paths.get(Files.createTempDirectory(null) + File.separator + "label");
+        Files.write(pathToFile, "File 1".getBytes());
+        System.out.println("file: " + pathToFile);
+
+        JsonObjectBuilder json1 = Json.createObjectBuilder()
+                .add("directory", "code");
+
+        Response uploadFile = UtilIT.uploadFileViaNative(datasetId.toString(), pathToFile.toString(), json1.build(), apiToken);
+        uploadFile.prettyPrint();
+        uploadFile.then().assertThat()
+                .statusCode(OK.getStatusCode())
+                .body("data.files[0].label", equalTo("label"));
+
+        Integer idOfFile = JsonPath.from(uploadFile.getBody().asString()).getInt("data.files[0].dataFile.id");
+        System.out.println("id: " + idOfFile);
+
+        JsonObjectBuilder updateFileMetadata = Json.createObjectBuilder()
+                .add("label", "label")
+                .add("description", "This file is awesome.");
+        Response updateFileMetadataResponse = UtilIT.updateFileMetadata(String.valueOf(idOfFile), updateFileMetadata.build().toString(), apiToken);
+        updateFileMetadataResponse.prettyPrint();
+        updateFileMetadataResponse.then().statusCode(OK.getStatusCode());
+
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * This test is for the following scenario.
+     *
+     * What if the database has null for the directoryLabel? What if you pass in
+     * directory as “” (because you don’t realize you can just not pass it).
+     * when it check and compares, the old directory is null. so will that mean
+     * labelChange = true and it will fail even though you didn’t really change
+     * the directory?
+     *
+     * While "labelChange" does end up being true,
+     * IngestUtil.conflictsWithExistingFilenames returns false, so the change is
+     * allowed to go through. The description is allowed to be changed and the
+     * directoryLabel remains null even though the user passed in an empty
+     * string, which is what we want.
+     */
+    @Test
+    public void existingDirectoryNullPassEmptyStringChangeDescription() throws IOException {
+
+        Response createUser = UtilIT.createRandomUser();
+        createUser.prettyPrint();
+        createUser.then().assertThat()
+                .statusCode(OK.getStatusCode());
+        String username = UtilIT.getUsernameFromResponse(createUser);
+        String apiToken = UtilIT.getApiTokenFromResponse(createUser);
+
+        Response createDataverseResponse = UtilIT.createRandomDataverse(apiToken);
+        createDataverseResponse.prettyPrint();
+        createDataverseResponse.then().assertThat()
+                .statusCode(CREATED.getStatusCode());
+
+        String dataverseAlias = UtilIT.getAliasFromResponse(createDataverseResponse);
+
+        Response createDataset = UtilIT.createRandomDatasetViaNativeApi(dataverseAlias, apiToken);
+        createDataset.prettyPrint();
+        createDataset.then().assertThat()
+                .statusCode(CREATED.getStatusCode());
+
+        Integer datasetId = UtilIT.getDatasetIdFromResponse(createDataset);
+
+        Path pathToFile = Paths.get(Files.createTempDirectory(null) + File.separator + "file1.txt");
+        Files.write(pathToFile, "File 1".getBytes());
+        System.out.println("file: " + pathToFile);
+
+        JsonObjectBuilder json1 = Json.createObjectBuilder()
+                .add("description", "This is my file.");
+
+        Response uploadFile = UtilIT.uploadFileViaNative(datasetId.toString(), pathToFile.toString(), json1.build(), apiToken);
+        uploadFile.prettyPrint();
+        uploadFile.then().assertThat()
+                .statusCode(OK.getStatusCode())
+                .body("data.files[0].label", equalTo("file1.txt"));
+
+        Integer idOfFile = JsonPath.from(uploadFile.getBody().asString()).getInt("data.files[0].dataFile.id");
+        System.out.println("id: " + idOfFile);
+
+        JsonObjectBuilder updateFileMetadata = Json.createObjectBuilder()
+                // It doesn't make sense to pass "" as a directoryLabel.
+                .add("directoryLabel", "")
+                .add("description", "This file is awesome.");
+        Response updateFileMetadataResponse = UtilIT.updateFileMetadata(String.valueOf(idOfFile), updateFileMetadata.build().toString(), apiToken);
+        updateFileMetadataResponse.prettyPrint();
+        updateFileMetadataResponse.then().statusCode(OK.getStatusCode());
+
+        Response datasetJson = UtilIT.nativeGet(datasetId, apiToken);
+        datasetJson.prettyPrint();
+        datasetJson.then().assertThat()
+                .statusCode(OK.getStatusCode())
+                .body("data.latestVersion.files[0].label", equalTo("file1.txt"))
+                .body("data.latestVersion.files[0].description", equalTo("This file is awesome."))
+                // Even though we tried to set directoryValue to "" above, it's correctly null in the database.
+                .body("data.latestVersion.files[0].directoryLabel", nullValue());
+    }
+
 }
diff --git a/src/test/java/edu/harvard/iq/dataverse/ingest/IngestUtilTest.java b/src/test/java/edu/harvard/iq/dataverse/ingest/IngestUtilTest.java
index 9fc5be4481f..abc773971c2 100644
--- a/src/test/java/edu/harvard/iq/dataverse/ingest/IngestUtilTest.java
+++ b/src/test/java/edu/harvard/iq/dataverse/ingest/IngestUtilTest.java
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@
 import java.sql.Timestamp;
 import java.text.SimpleDateFormat;
 import java.util.ArrayList;
+import java.util.Arrays;
 import java.util.Date;
 import java.util.List;
 import java.util.Set;
@@ -611,4 +612,25 @@ public void testUnfUtil() {
         assertEquals("UNF:6:FWBO/a1GcxDnM3fNLdzrHw==", datasetUnfValue);
     }
 
+    @Test
+    public void testPathPlusFilename() {
+        String incomingLabel = "incomingLabel";
+        String incomingDirectoryLabel = "incomingDirectoryLabel";
+        String existingLabel = "existingLabel";
+        String existingDirectoryLabel = "existingDirectoryLabel";
+        String pathPlusFilename = IngestUtil.getPathAndFileNameToCheck(incomingLabel, incomingDirectoryLabel, existingLabel, existingDirectoryLabel);
+        assertEquals("incomingDirectoryLabel/incomingLabel", pathPlusFilename);
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    public void renameFileToSameName() {
+        String pathPlusFilename = "README.md";
+        FileMetadata file1 = new FileMetadata();
+        file1.setLabel("README.md");
+        FileMetadata file2 = new FileMetadata();
+        file2.setLabel("README2.md");
+        List<FileMetadata> fileMetadatas = Arrays.asList(file1, file2);
+        assertTrue(IngestUtil.conflictsWithExistingFilenames(pathPlusFilename, fileMetadatas));
+    }
+
 }