diff --git a/registry.py b/registry.py
index 8d11025..3ab1e18 100755
--- a/registry.py
+++ b/registry.py
@@ -54,15 +54,27 @@ class Registry:
         self.http = None
         self.last_error = None
 
+    def parse_login(self, login):
+        if login != None:
+
+            if not ':' in login:
+                self.last_error = "Please provide -l in the form USER:PASSWORD"
+                return (None, None)
+
+            self.last_error = None
+            return login.split(':', 1)
+
+        return (None, None)
+
+
     @staticmethod
     def create(host, login, no_validate_ssl):
-        r = Registry
-        if login != None:
-            if not ':' in login:
-                r.last_error = "Please provide -l in the form USER:PASSWORD"
-                print(r.last_error)
-                exit(1)
-            (r.username, r.password) = login.split(':')
+        r = Registry()
+
+        (r.username, r.password) = r.parse_login(login)
+        if r.last_error != None:
+            print(r.last_error)
+            exit(1)
 
         r.hostname = host
         r.no_validate_ssl = no_validate_ssl
diff --git a/test.py b/test.py
index 8bd56ee..bd520fe 100644
--- a/test.py
+++ b/test.py
@@ -19,6 +19,28 @@ class TestRequests:
         self.return_value.status_code = status_code
         self.return_value.text = text
 
+class TestParseLogin(unittest.TestCase):
+
+    def setUp(self):
+        self.registry = Registry()
+
+    def test_login_args_ok(self):
+        (username, password) = self.registry.parse_login("username:password")
+        self.assertEqual(username, "username")
+        self.assertEqual(password, "password")
+        self.assertEqual(self.registry.last_error, None)
+
+    def test_login_args_double_colon(self):
+        (username, password) = self.registry.parse_login("username:pass:word")
+        self.assertEqual(username, "username")
+        self.assertEqual(password, "pass:word")
+        self.assertEqual(self.registry.last_error, None)
+
+    def test_login_args_no_colon(self):
+        (username, password) = self.registry.parse_login("username/password")
+        self.assertEqual(username, None)
+        self.assertEqual(password, None)
+        self.assertEqual(self.registry.last_error, "Please provide -l in the form USER:PASSWORD")
 
 class TestRegistrySend(unittest.TestCase):
 
@@ -52,6 +74,7 @@ class TestRegistrySend(unittest.TestCase):
         self.registry.http.reset_return_value(200)
         response = self.registry.send('/v2/catalog')
         self.assertEqual(response.status_code, 200)
+        self.assertEqual(self.registry.last_error, None)
         self.registry.http.request.assert_called_with('GET',
                                                  'http://testdomain.com/v2/catalog',
                                                  auth = ("test_login", "test_password"),
@@ -152,6 +175,7 @@ class TestListDigest(unittest.TestCase):
         )
 
         self.assertEqual(response, 'sha256:85295b0e7456a8fbbc886722b483f87f2bff553fa0beeaf37f5d807aff7c1e52')
+        self.assertEqual(self.registry.last_error, None)
 
     def test_invalid_status_code(self):
         self.registry.http.reset_return_value(400)
@@ -194,6 +218,7 @@ class TestListLayers(unittest.TestCase):
         )
 
         self.assertEqual(response, "layers_list")
+        self.assertEqual(self.registry.last_error, None)
 
 
     def test_list_layers_schema_version_1_ok(self):
@@ -218,6 +243,7 @@ class TestListLayers(unittest.TestCase):
         )
 
         self.assertEqual(response, "layers_list")
+        self.assertEqual(self.registry.last_error, None)
 
     def test_list_layers_invalid_status_code(self):
         self.registry.http.reset_return_value(400, "whatever")