diff --git a/panels.install b/panels.install
index 6e83d44..ec8732e 100644
--- a/panels.install
+++ b/panels.install
@@ -47,7 +47,23 @@ function panels_requirements_install() {
 function panels_schema() {
   // This should always point to our 'current' schema. This makes it relatively easy
   // to keep a record of schema as we make changes to it.
-  return panels_schema_4();
+  return panels_schema_5();
+}
+
+function panels_schema_5() {
+  $schema = panels_schema_4();
+
+  $schema['panels_pane']['fields']['uuid'] = array(
+    'type' => 'char',
+    'length' => '36',
+  );
+
+  $schema['panels_display']['fields']['uuid'] = array(
+    'type' => 'char',
+    'length' => '36',
+  );
+
+  return $schema;
 }
 
 function panels_schema_4() {
@@ -79,6 +95,8 @@ function panels_schema_3() {
       'export callback' => 'panels_export_display',
       'can disable' => FALSE,
       'identifier' => 'display',
+      'key' => 'uuid',
+      'key name' => 'UUID',
     ),
     'fields' => array(
       'did' => array(
@@ -136,6 +154,8 @@ function panels_schema_3() {
       'can disable' => FALSE,
       'identifier' => 'pane',
       'bulk export' => FALSE,
+      'key' => 'uuid',
+      'key name' => 'UUID',
     ),
     'fields' => array(
       'pid' => array(
@@ -375,3 +395,77 @@ function panels_update_7301() {
 
   return t('panels_pane.lock field already existed, update skipped.');
 }
+
+/**
+ * Add uuid field to panels_pane table.
+ */
+function panels_update_7302() {
+  // Load the schema.
+  $schema = panels_schema_5();
+  $msg = array();
+
+  $table = 'panels_pane';
+  $field = 'uuid';
+  // Due to a previous failure, the field may already exist:
+  if (!db_field_exists($table, $field)) {
+    $spec = $schema[$table]['fields'][$field];
+
+    // Re-define the column.
+    db_add_field($table, $field, $spec);
+    $msg[] = t('Added panels_pane.uuid field.');
+  }
+
+  $table = 'panels_display';
+  $field = 'uuid';
+  // Due to a previous failure, the field may already exist:
+  if (!db_field_exists($table, $field)) {
+    $spec = $schema[$table]['fields'][$field];
+
+    // Re-define the column.
+    db_add_field($table, $field, $spec);
+    $msg[] = t('Added panels_display.uuid field.');
+  }
+
+  if (empty($msg)) {
+    return t('Panels uuid support already available, update skipped.');
+  }
+  else {
+    return implode("\n", $msg);
+  }
+}
+
+/**
+ * Ensure all existing panel panes have a uuid.
+ */
+function panels_update_7303() {
+  // Update all db based panes / displays to contain an uuid.
+  $dids = db_select('panels_display')
+    ->fields('panels_display', array('did'))
+    ->condition(db_or()
+      ->condition('uuid', '')
+      ->isNull('uuid')
+    )
+    ->execute()
+    ->fetchCol();
+  $displays = panels_load_displays($dids);
+  foreach ($displays as $display) {
+    // A display save also triggers pane saves.
+    panels_save_display($display);
+  }
+  if (count($displays)) {
+    return t('Added uuids to displays and panes stored in the db.');
+  }
+}
+
+/**
+ * Fix the UUID lengths.
+ */
+function panels_update_7304() {
+  $schema = panels_schema_5();
+  $field = 'uuid';
+  foreach (array('panels_display', 'panels_pane') as $table) {
+    $spec = $schema[$table]['fields'][$field];
+    db_change_field($table, $field, $field, $spec);
+  }
+  return t('Changed the UUID columns to the correct size.');
+}
diff --git a/panels.module b/panels.module
index bab42b2..a2fab8b 100644
--- a/panels.module
+++ b/panels.module
@@ -651,8 +651,10 @@ class panels_display {
       $pane->panel = $location;
     }
 
-    // Get a temporary pid for this pane.
-    $pane->pid = "new-" . $this->next_new_pid();
+    // Generate a permanent uuid for this pane, and use
+    // it as a temporary pid.
+    $pane->uuid = panels_uuid_generate();
+    $pane->pid = 'new-' . $pane->uuid;
 
     // Add the pane to the approprate spots.
     $this->content[$pane->pid] = &$pane;
@@ -666,23 +668,10 @@ class panels_display {
 
   function clone_pane($pid) {
     $pane = clone $this->content[$pid];
+    $pane->uuid = panels_uuid_generate();
     return $pane;
   }
 
-  function next_new_pid() {
-    // We don't use static vars to record the next new pid because
-    // temporary pids can last for years in exports and in caching
-    // during editing.
-    $id = array(0);
-    foreach (array_keys($this->content) as $pid) {
-      if (!is_numeric($pid)) {
-        $id[] = substr($pid, 4);
-      }
-    }
-    $next_id = max($id);
-    return ++$next_id;
-  }
-
   /**
    * Get the title from a display.
    *
@@ -866,10 +855,13 @@ function panels_load_display($did) {
  *
  * @ingroup mainapi
  *
- * Note a new $display only receives a real did once it is run through this function.
- * Until then, it uses a string placeholder, 'new', in place of a real did. The same
- * applies to all new panes (whether on a new $display or not); in addition,
- * panes have sequential numbers appended, of the form 'new-1', 'new-2', etc.
+ * Note that a new $display only receives a real did once it is run through
+ * this function, and likewise for the pid of any new pane.
+ *
+ * Until then, a new display uses a string placeholder, 'new', in place of
+ * a real did, and a new pane (whether on a new $display or not) appends a
+ * universally-unique identifier (which is stored permanently in the 'uuid'
+ * field). This format is also used in place of the real pid for exports.
  *
  * @param object $display instanceof panels_display \n
  *  The display object to be saved. Passed by reference so the caller need not use
@@ -879,6 +871,9 @@ function panels_load_display($did) {
  */
 function panels_save_display(&$display) {
   $update = (isset($display->did) && is_numeric($display->did)) ? array('did') : array();
+  if (empty($display->uuid) || !panels_uuid_is_valid($display->uuid)) {
+    $display->uuid = panels_uuid_generate();
+  }
   drupal_write_record('panels_display', $display, $update);
 
   $pids = array();
@@ -909,6 +904,11 @@ function panels_save_display(&$display) {
       $pane->did = $display->did;
 
       $old_pid = $pane->pid;
+
+      if (empty($pane->uuid) || !panels_uuid_is_valid($pane->uuid)) {
+        $pane->uuid = panels_uuid_generate();
+      }
+
       drupal_write_record('panels_pane', $pane, is_numeric($pid) ? array('pid') : array());
 
       if ($pane->pid != $old_pid) {
@@ -986,9 +986,11 @@ function panels_delete_display($display) {
  *
  * This function is primarily intended as a mechanism for cloning displays.
  * It generates an exact replica (in code) of the provided $display, with
- * the exception that it replaces all ids (dids and pids) with 'new-*' values.
- * Only once panels_save_display() is called on the code version of $display will
- * the exported display written to the database and permanently saved.
+ * the exception that it replaces all ids (dids and pids) with place-holder
+ * values (consisting of the display or pane's uuid, with a 'new-' prefix).
+ *
+ * Only once panels_save_display() is called on the code version of $display
+ * will the exported display be written to the database and permanently saved.
  *
  * @see panels_page_export() or _panels_page_fetch_display() for sample implementations.
  *
@@ -1010,10 +1012,12 @@ function panels_delete_display($display) {
  */
 function panels_export_display($display, $prefix = '') {
   ctools_include('export');
+  if (empty($display->uuid) || !panels_uuid_is_valid($display->uuid)) {
+    $display->uuid = panels_uuid_generate();
+  }
+  $display->did = 'new-' . $display->uuid;
   $output = ctools_export_object('panels_display', $display, $prefix);
 
-  $pid_counter = &drupal_static(__FUNCTION__, 0);
-
   // Initialize empty properties.
   $output .= $prefix . '$display->content = array()' . ";\n";
   $output .= $prefix . '$display->panels = array()' . ";\n";
@@ -1023,7 +1027,12 @@ function panels_export_display($display, $prefix = '') {
   if (!empty($display->content)) {
     $region_counters = array();
     foreach ($display->content as $pane) {
-      $pid = 'new-' . ++$pid_counter;
+
+      if (empty($pane->uuid) || !panels_uuid_is_valid($pane->uuid)) {
+        $pane->uuid = panels_uuid_generate();
+      }
+      $pid = 'new-' . $pane->uuid;
+
       if ($pane->pid == $display->title_pane) {
         $title_pid = $pid;
       }
@@ -1731,6 +1740,63 @@ function _panels_builder_filter($layout) {
   return empty($layout['builder']);
 }
 
+/**
+ * Generates a Universally Unique IDentifier, version 4.
+ * @see http://php.net/uniqid#65879
+ *
+ * RFC 4122 (http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc4122.txt) defines a special type of Globally
+ * Unique IDentifiers (GUID), as well as several methods for producing them. One
+ * such method, described in section 4.4, is based on truly random or pseudo-random
+ * number generators, and is therefore implementable in a language like PHP.
+ *
+ * We choose to produce pseudo-random numbers with the Mersenne Twister, and to always
+ * limit single generated numbers to 16 bits (ie. the decimal value 65535). That is
+ * because, even on 32-bit systems, PHP's RAND_MAX will often be the maximum *signed*
+ * value, with only the equivalent of 31 significant bits. Producing two 16-bit random
+ * numbers to make up a 32-bit one is less efficient, but guarantees that all 32 bits
+ * are random.
+ *
+ * The algorithm for version 4 UUIDs (ie. those based on random number generators)
+ * states that all 128 bits separated into the various fields (32 bits, 16 bits, 16 bits,
+ * 8 bits and 8 bits, 48 bits) should be random, except : (a) the version number should
+ * be the last 4 bits in the 3rd field, and (b) bits 6 and 7 of the 4th field should
+ * be 01. We try to conform to that definition as efficiently as possible, generating
+ * smaller values where possible, and minimizing the number of base conversions.
+ *
+ * @copyright   Copyright (c) CFD Labs, 2006. This function may be used freely for
+ *              any purpose ; it is distributed without any form of warranty whatsoever.
+ * @author      David Holmes <dholmes@cfdsoftware.net>
+ *
+ * @return  string  A UUID, made up of 32 hex digits and 4 hyphens.
+ */
+function panels_uuid_generate() {
+  // The field names refer to RFC 4122 section 4.1.2
+  return sprintf('%04x%04x-%04x-%03x4-%04x-%04x%04x%04x',
+    mt_rand(0, 65535), mt_rand(0, 65535), // 32 bits for "time_low"
+    mt_rand(0, 65535), // 16 bits for "time_mid"
+    mt_rand(0, 4095),  // 12 bits before the 0100 of (version) 4 for "time_hi_and_version"
+    bindec(substr_replace(sprintf('%016b', mt_rand(0, 65535)), '01', 6, 2)),
+    // 8 bits, the last two of which (positions 6 and 7) are 01, for "clk_seq_hi_res"
+    // (hence, the 2nd hex digit after the 3rd hyphen can only be 1, 5, 9 or d)
+    // 8 bits for "clk_seq_low"
+    mt_rand(0, 65535), mt_rand(0, 65535), mt_rand(0, 65535) // 48 bits for "node"
+  );
+}
+
+/**
+ * Check that a string appears to be in the format of a UUID.
+ * @see http://drupal.org/project/uuid
+ *
+ * @param $uuid
+ *  The string to test.
+ *
+ * @return
+ *   TRUE if the string is well formed.
+ */
+function panels_uuid_is_valid($uuid) {
+  return preg_match("/^[0-9a-f]{8}-([0-9a-f]{4}-){3}[0-9a-f]{12}$/", $uuid);
+}
+
 // --------------------------------------------------------------------------
 // Deprecated functions
 //
diff --git a/plugins/task_handlers/panel_context.inc b/plugins/task_handlers/panel_context.inc
index 4f2da19..b6382c2 100644
--- a/plugins/task_handlers/panel_context.inc
+++ b/plugins/task_handlers/panel_context.inc
@@ -364,7 +364,10 @@ function panels_panel_context_export(&$handler, $indent) {
       unset($handler->conf[$item]);
     }
   }
-  $display->did = 'new';
+  $display = (object) array(
+    'did' => 'new',
+    'uuid' => panels_uuid_generate(),
+  );
   $handler->conf['display'] = $display;
 }