diff --git a/django_extensions/management/commands/create_app.py b/django_extensions/management/commands/create_app.py
index 67b20f8d1..8668201e8 100644
--- a/django_extensions/management/commands/create_app.py
+++ b/django_extensions/management/commands/create_app.py
@@ -3,10 +3,11 @@
 import django_extensions
 from django.conf import settings
 from django.db import connection
-from django.core.management.base import CommandError, LabelCommand, _make_writeable
+from django.core.management.base import CommandError, LabelCommand
 from django.template import Template, Context
 from django_extensions.settings import REPLACEMENTS
 from django_extensions.utils.dia2django import dia2django
+from django_extensions.management.utils import _make_writeable
 from optparse import make_option
 
 
diff --git a/django_extensions/management/commands/create_command.py b/django_extensions/management/commands/create_command.py
index d77c2646e..b0a6d16bb 100644
--- a/django_extensions/management/commands/create_command.py
+++ b/django_extensions/management/commands/create_command.py
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 import os
-from django.core.management.base import CommandError, AppCommand, _make_writeable
+from django.core.management.base import CommandError, AppCommand
+from django_extensions.management.utils import _make_writeable
 from optparse import make_option
 
 
diff --git a/django_extensions/management/commands/create_jobs.py b/django_extensions/management/commands/create_jobs.py
index c3c363aee..cc87247d6 100644
--- a/django_extensions/management/commands/create_jobs.py
+++ b/django_extensions/management/commands/create_jobs.py
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 import os
 import sys
-from django.core.management.base import CommandError, AppCommand, _make_writeable
+from django.core.management.base import CommandError, AppCommand
+from django_extensions.management.utils import _make_writeable
 
 
 class Command(AppCommand):
diff --git a/django_extensions/management/utils.py b/django_extensions/management/utils.py
index d8286b219..b829e3287 100644
--- a/django_extensions/management/utils.py
+++ b/django_extensions/management/utils.py
@@ -1,8 +1,25 @@
 from django.conf import settings
 import os
+import sys
 
 
 def get_project_root():
     """ get the project root directory """
     settings_mod = __import__(settings.SETTINGS_MODULE, {}, {}, [''])
     return os.path.dirname(os.path.abspath(settings_mod.__file__))
+
+def _make_writeable(filename):
+    """
+    Make sure that the file is writeable. Useful if our source is
+    read-only.
+
+    """
+    import stat
+    if sys.platform.startswith('java'):
+        # On Jython there is no os.access()
+        return
+    if not os.access(filename, os.W_OK):
+        st = os.stat(filename)
+        new_permissions = stat.S_IMODE(st.st_mode) | stat.S_IWUSR
+        os.chmod(filename, new_permissions)
+