diff --git a/api/src/main/java/com/lishid/openinv/IOpenInv.java b/api/src/main/java/com/lishid/openinv/IOpenInv.java
index 28514fc..775a63b 100644
--- a/api/src/main/java/com/lishid/openinv/IOpenInv.java
+++ b/api/src/main/java/com/lishid/openinv/IOpenInv.java
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ import com.lishid.openinv.internal.ISpecialPlayerInventory;
 
 import org.bukkit.OfflinePlayer;
 import org.bukkit.entity.Player;
+import org.bukkit.plugin.Plugin;
 
 /**
  * Interface defining behavior for the OpenInv plugin.
@@ -150,4 +151,37 @@ public interface IOpenInv {
      */
     public Player loadPlayer(final OfflinePlayer offline);
 
+    /**
+     * Mark a Player as in use by a Plugin to prevent it from being removed from the cache. Used to
+     * prevent issues with multiple copies of the same Player being loaded such as lishid#49.
+     * Changes made to loaded copies overwrite changes to the others when saved, leading to
+     * duplication bugs and more.
+     * <p>
+     * When finished with the Player object, be sure to call {@link #releasePlayer(Player, Plugin)}
+     * to prevent the cache from keeping it stored until the plugin is disabled.
+     * <p>
+     * When using a Player object from OpenInv, you must handle the Player coming online, replacing
+     * your Player reference with the Player from the PlayerJoinEvent. In addition, you must change
+     * any values in the Player to reflect any unsaved alterations to the existing Player which do
+     * not affect the inventory or ender chest contents.
+     * <p>
+     * OpenInv only saves player data when unloading a Player from the cache, and then only if
+     * {@link #disableSaving()} returns false. If you are making changes that OpenInv does not cause
+     * to persist when a Player logs in as noted above, it is suggested that you manually call
+     * {@link Player#saveData()} when releasing your reference to ensure your changes persist.
+     * 
+     * @param player the Player
+     * @param plugin the Plugin holding the reference to the Player
+     */
+    public void retainPlayer(Player player, Plugin plugin);
+
+    /**
+     * Mark a Player as no longer in use by a Plugin to allow OpenInv to remove it from the cache
+     * when eligible.
+     * 
+     * @param player the Player
+     * @param plugin the Plugin no longer holding a reference to the Player
+     */
+    public void releasePlayer(Player player, Plugin plugin);
+
 }
diff --git a/plugin/plugin-core/src/main/java/com/lishid/openinv/OpenInv.java b/plugin/plugin-core/src/main/java/com/lishid/openinv/OpenInv.java
index 60f4733..334e5cc 100644
--- a/plugin/plugin-core/src/main/java/com/lishid/openinv/OpenInv.java
+++ b/plugin/plugin-core/src/main/java/com/lishid/openinv/OpenInv.java
@@ -44,12 +44,16 @@ import com.lishid.openinv.util.Function;
 import com.lishid.openinv.util.InternalAccessor;
 import com.lishid.openinv.util.Permissions;
 
+import com.google.common.collect.HashMultimap;
+import com.google.common.collect.Multimap;
+
 import org.bukkit.Bukkit;
 import org.bukkit.OfflinePlayer;
 import org.bukkit.command.PluginCommand;
 import org.bukkit.entity.HumanEntity;
 import org.bukkit.entity.Player;
 import org.bukkit.inventory.Inventory;
+import org.bukkit.plugin.Plugin;
 import org.bukkit.plugin.PluginManager;
 import org.bukkit.plugin.java.JavaPlugin;
 import org.bukkit.scheduler.BukkitRunnable;
@@ -63,13 +67,17 @@ public class OpenInv extends JavaPlugin implements IOpenInv {
 
     private final Map<String, ISpecialPlayerInventory> inventories = new HashMap<String, ISpecialPlayerInventory>();
     private final Map<String, ISpecialEnderChest> enderChests = new HashMap<String, ISpecialEnderChest>();
+    // TODO: handle plugin unload
+    private final Multimap<String, Class<? extends Plugin>> pluginUsage = HashMultimap.create();
+
     private final Cache<String, Player> playerCache = new Cache<String, Player>(300000L,
             new Function<Player>() {
                 @Override
                 public boolean run(Player value) {
                     String key = playerLoader.getPlayerDataID(value);
                     return inventories.containsKey(key) && inventories.get(key).isInUse()
-                            || enderChests.containsKey(key) && enderChests.get(key).isInUse();
+                            || enderChests.containsKey(key) && enderChests.get(key).isInUse()
+                            || pluginUsage.containsKey(key);
                 }
             },
             new Function<Player>() {
@@ -427,6 +435,7 @@ public class OpenInv extends JavaPlugin implements IOpenInv {
             return this.playerCache.get(key);
         }
 
+        // TODO: wrap Player to ensure all methods can safely be called offline
         Player loaded;
 
         if (offline.isOnline()) {
@@ -479,6 +488,34 @@ public class OpenInv extends JavaPlugin implements IOpenInv {
         return loaded;
     }
 
+    /**
+     * @see com.lishid.openinv.IOpenInv#retainPlayer(org.bukkit.entity.Player, org.bukkit.plugin.Plugin)
+     */
+    @Override
+    public void retainPlayer(Player player, Plugin plugin) {
+        String key = this.playerLoader.getPlayerDataID(player);
+
+        if (this.pluginUsage.containsEntry(key, plugin.getClass())) {
+            return;
+        }
+
+        this.pluginUsage.put(key, plugin.getClass());
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @see com.lishid.openinv.IOpenInv#releasePlayer(org.bukkit.entity.Player, org.bukkit.plugin.Plugin)
+     */
+    @Override
+    public void releasePlayer(Player player, Plugin plugin) {
+        String key = this.playerLoader.getPlayerDataID(player);
+
+        if (!this.pluginUsage.containsEntry(key, plugin.getClass())) {
+            return;
+        }
+
+        this.pluginUsage.remove(key, plugin.getClass());
+    }
+
     /**
      * Method for handling a Player coming online.
      * 
diff --git a/pom.xml b/pom.xml
index cc71f52..7dea94c 100644
--- a/pom.xml
+++ b/pom.xml
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@
 
   <properties>
     <project.build.sourceEncoding>UTF-8</project.build.sourceEncoding>
-    <openinv.version>3.0.3-SNAPSHOT</openinv.version>
+    <openinv.version>3.0.4-SNAPSHOT</openinv.version>
   </properties>
 
   <modules>