diff --git a/pkg/opts/opts.go b/pkg/opts/opts.go
index a1b8752bad..4f5897c796 100644
--- a/pkg/opts/opts.go
+++ b/pkg/opts/opts.go
@@ -92,22 +92,12 @@ func ValidateAttach(val string) (string, error) {
 }
 
 func ValidateLink(val string) (string, error) {
-	if _, err := parseLink(val); err != nil {
+	if _, err := utils.PartParser("name:alias", val); err != nil {
 		return val, err
 	}
 	return val, nil
 }
 
-// FIXME: this is a duplicate of docker.utils.parseLink.
-// 	it can't be moved to a separate links/ package because
-//	links depends on Container which is defined in the core.
-//
-// Links come in the format of
-// name:alias
-func parseLink(rawLink string) (map[string]string, error) {
-	return utils.PartParser("name:alias", rawLink)
-}
-
 func ValidatePath(val string) (string, error) {
 	var containerPath string
 
diff --git a/server.go b/server.go
index 85d56afdb6..52f5f14c0a 100644
--- a/server.go
+++ b/server.go
@@ -1995,7 +1995,7 @@ func (srv *Server) RegisterLinks(container *runtime.Container, hostConfig *runco
 
 	if hostConfig != nil && hostConfig.Links != nil {
 		for _, l := range hostConfig.Links {
-			parts, err := parseLink(l)
+			parts, err := utils.PartParser("name:alias", l)
 			if err != nil {
 				return err
 			}
diff --git a/utils.go b/utils.go
deleted file mode 100644
index 0fda006860..0000000000
--- a/utils.go
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,16 +0,0 @@
-package docker
-
-import (
-	"github.com/dotcloud/docker/archive"
-	"github.com/dotcloud/docker/utils"
-)
-
-type Change struct {
-	archive.Change
-}
-
-// Links come in the format of
-// name:alias
-func parseLink(rawLink string) (map[string]string, error) {
-	return utils.PartParser("name:alias", rawLink)
-}