diff --git a/openbis/source/java/ch/systemsx/cisd/openbis/generic/shared/basic/dto/NewSample.java b/openbis/source/java/ch/systemsx/cisd/openbis/generic/shared/basic/dto/NewSample.java
index 4e3407823152d71f35b217a715f4fc71aae5b2f0..f6587035c788e5fec768f7cfa6e3f32f3994dc3d 100644
--- a/openbis/source/java/ch/systemsx/cisd/openbis/generic/shared/basic/dto/NewSample.java
+++ b/openbis/source/java/ch/systemsx/cisd/openbis/generic/shared/basic/dto/NewSample.java
@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@ public class NewSample extends Identifier<NewSample> implements Comparable<NewSa
             "# The \"container\" and \"parents\" columns are optional, only one should be specified.\n"
                     + "# \"container\" should contain a sample identifier, e.g. /SPACE/SAMPLE_1, while \"parents\" should contain comma separated list of sample identifiers. \n"
                     + "# If \"container\" sample is provided, the registered sample will become a \"component\" of it.\n"
-                    + "# The column \"container\" has an alias \"default_container\", which has a different meaning when samples are updated.\n"
+                    + "# The column \"container\" has an alias \"current_container\", which has a different meaning when samples are updated.\n"
                     + "# If \"parents\" are provided, the registered sample will become a \"child\" of all specified samples.\n";
 
     public static String WITH_EXPERIMENTS_COMMENT =
@@ -46,7 +46,7 @@ public class NewSample extends Identifier<NewSample> implements Comparable<NewSa
 
     public static final String CONTAINER = "container";
 
-    public static final String DEFAULT_CONTAINER = "default_container";
+    public static final String CURRENT_CONTAINER = "current_container";
 
     public static final String PARENT = "parent";
 
@@ -70,10 +70,10 @@ public class NewSample extends Identifier<NewSample> implements Comparable<NewSa
     private String containerIdentifier;
 
     /**
-     * The default container identifier. Used only if the sample identifier does not have the
+     * The current container identifier. Used only if the sample identifier does not have the
      * container specified. In such a case it will be assumed that the sample is in that container.
      */
-    private String defaultContainerIdentifier;
+    private String currentContainerIdentifier;
 
     /**
      * The experiment identifier.
@@ -119,14 +119,14 @@ public class NewSample extends Identifier<NewSample> implements Comparable<NewSa
 
     public NewSample(final String identifier, SampleType sampleType, String containerIdentifier,
             String[] parentsOrNull, String experimentIdentifier, String defaultSpaceIdentifier,
-            String defaultContainerIdentifier, IEntityProperty[] properties,
+            String currentContainerIdentifier, IEntityProperty[] properties,
             List<NewAttachment> attachments)
     {
         this(identifier, sampleType, containerIdentifier);
         this.parentsOrNull = parentsOrNull;
         this.experimentIdentifier = experimentIdentifier;
         this.setDefaultSpaceIdentifier(defaultSpaceIdentifier);
-        this.defaultContainerIdentifier = defaultContainerIdentifier;
+        this.currentContainerIdentifier = currentContainerIdentifier;
         this.properties = properties;
         this.attachments = attachments;
     }
@@ -213,15 +213,15 @@ public class NewSample extends Identifier<NewSample> implements Comparable<NewSa
         this.containerIdentifier = StringUtils.trimToNull(container);
     }
 
-    public final String getDefaultContainerIdentifier()
+    public final String getCurrentContainerIdentifier()
     {
-        return defaultContainerIdentifier;
+        return currentContainerIdentifier;
     }
 
-    @BeanProperty(label = DEFAULT_CONTAINER, optional = true)
-    public final void setDefaultContainerIdentifier(final String defaultContainer)
+    @BeanProperty(label = CURRENT_CONTAINER, optional = true)
+    public final void setCurrentContainerIdentifier(final String currentContainerIdentifier)
     {
-        this.defaultContainerIdentifier = StringUtils.trimToNull(defaultContainer);
+        this.currentContainerIdentifier = StringUtils.trimToNull(currentContainerIdentifier);
     }
 
     public String getExperimentIdentifier()
@@ -274,7 +274,7 @@ public class NewSample extends Identifier<NewSample> implements Comparable<NewSa
 
     public String getContainerIdentifierForNewSample()
     {
-        return defaultContainerIdentifier != null ? defaultContainerIdentifier
+        return currentContainerIdentifier != null ? currentContainerIdentifier
                 : containerIdentifier;
     }
 
@@ -304,10 +304,10 @@ public class NewSample extends Identifier<NewSample> implements Comparable<NewSa
         final NewSample that = (NewSample) obj;
         final String thisCombinedIdentifier =
                 StringUtils.emptyIfNull(this.getDefaultSpaceIdentifier()) + this.getIdentifier()
-                        + getContainerIdentifier() + getDefaultContainerIdentifier();
+                        + getContainerIdentifier() + getCurrentContainerIdentifier();
         final String thatCombinedIdentifier =
                 StringUtils.emptyIfNull(this.getDefaultSpaceIdentifier()) + that.getIdentifier()
-                        + that.getContainerIdentifier() + that.getDefaultContainerIdentifier();
+                        + that.getContainerIdentifier() + that.getCurrentContainerIdentifier();
         return thisCombinedIdentifier.equals(thatCombinedIdentifier);
     }
 }
diff --git a/openbis/source/java/ch/systemsx/cisd/openbis/generic/shared/basic/dto/UpdatedSample.java b/openbis/source/java/ch/systemsx/cisd/openbis/generic/shared/basic/dto/UpdatedSample.java
index 75189423d0c9cf1b7a1ab2c752455d9ac9b6e8c2..40e520d51be22d5356a047a1b6da37bdad251b3f 100644
--- a/openbis/source/java/ch/systemsx/cisd/openbis/generic/shared/basic/dto/UpdatedSample.java
+++ b/openbis/source/java/ch/systemsx/cisd/openbis/generic/shared/basic/dto/UpdatedSample.java
@@ -36,7 +36,7 @@ public final class UpdatedSample extends NewSample
                     + "# The \"parent\" column (if not removed) should contain comma separated list of sample identifiers, e.g. /SPACE/SAMPLE_1,/SPACE/SAMPLE_2\n"
                     + "# The \"experiment\" column (if not removed) should contain experiment identifier, e.g. /SPACE/PROJECT/EXP_1\n"
                     + "# The \"default_space\" column is optional, it can be used to override home space for the row\n"
-                    + "# The \"default_container\" column is optional, it can be used to specify container where the updated sample belongs before the update\n";
+                    + "# The \"current_container\" column is optional, it can be used to specify container where the updated sample belongs before the update\n";
 
     private SampleBatchUpdateDetails batchUpdateDetails;
 
@@ -45,7 +45,7 @@ public final class UpdatedSample extends NewSample
         super(newSample.getIdentifier(), newSample.getSampleType(), newSample
                 .getContainerIdentifier(), newSample.getParentsOrNull(), newSample
                 .getExperimentIdentifier(), newSample.getDefaultSpaceIdentifier(), newSample
-                .getDefaultContainerIdentifier(), newSample.getProperties(), newSample
+                .getCurrentContainerIdentifier(), newSample.getProperties(), newSample
                 .getAttachments());
         this.batchUpdateDetails = batchUpdateDetails;
     }
diff --git a/openbis/source/java/ch/systemsx/cisd/openbis/generic/shared/dto/identifier/SampleIdentifierFactory.java b/openbis/source/java/ch/systemsx/cisd/openbis/generic/shared/dto/identifier/SampleIdentifierFactory.java
index 28fe5e78b55397f13671499c1826a6600be79ea3..15bf4b6d5a9c1d05bb759bf56b9a9574aa38a44e 100644
--- a/openbis/source/java/ch/systemsx/cisd/openbis/generic/shared/dto/identifier/SampleIdentifierFactory.java
+++ b/openbis/source/java/ch/systemsx/cisd/openbis/generic/shared/dto/identifier/SampleIdentifierFactory.java
@@ -49,7 +49,7 @@ public final class SampleIdentifierFactory extends AbstractIdentifierFactory
         String defaultSpace = sample.getDefaultSpaceIdentifier();
         SampleIdentifier identifier = factory.createIdentifier(defaultSpace);
         // if the container for the new sample is not specified then use the default (if provided)
-        String defaultContainer = sample.getDefaultContainerIdentifier();
+        String defaultContainer = sample.getCurrentContainerIdentifier();
         if (identifier.tryGetContainerCode() == null
                 && StringUtils.isEmpty(defaultContainer) == false)
         {
diff --git a/openbis/source/java/ch/systemsx/cisd/openbis/plugin/generic/server/SampleRegisterOrUpdateUtil.java b/openbis/source/java/ch/systemsx/cisd/openbis/plugin/generic/server/SampleRegisterOrUpdateUtil.java
index 82f13af4b680ca853c972d879115a9178e23c061..deb29010748b0d9edc82a2f722f9131dace2c09c 100644
--- a/openbis/source/java/ch/systemsx/cisd/openbis/plugin/generic/server/SampleRegisterOrUpdateUtil.java
+++ b/openbis/source/java/ch/systemsx/cisd/openbis/plugin/generic/server/SampleRegisterOrUpdateUtil.java
@@ -78,10 +78,10 @@ public class SampleRegisterOrUpdateUtil
     {
         String newSampleContainerCode = newSampleIdentifier.tryGetContainerCode();
         String newSampleContainerSpace = newSample.getDefaultSpaceIdentifier();
-        if (newSampleContainerCode == null && newSample.getDefaultContainerIdentifier() != null)
+        if (newSampleContainerCode == null && newSample.getCurrentContainerIdentifier() != null)
         {
             SampleIdentifier newSampleContainerIdentifier =
-                    SampleIdentifierFactory.parse(newSample.getDefaultContainerIdentifier(),
+                    SampleIdentifierFactory.parse(newSample.getCurrentContainerIdentifier(),
                             newSample.getDefaultSpaceIdentifier());
             newSampleContainerCode = newSampleContainerIdentifier.getSampleSubCode();
             newSampleContainerSpace = tryGetSpaceCode(newSampleContainerIdentifier);