diff --git a/pym/cl_opt.py b/pym/cl_opt.py
index bd8a83c..833677e 100644
--- a/pym/cl_opt.py
+++ b/pym/cl_opt.py
@@ -334,6 +334,12 @@ is used in conjunction with the option '-v --vars'")
                  epilog=epilog)
         self.formatter._long_opt_fmt = "%s %s"
 
+    def _get_encoding(self, file):
+        encoding = getattr(file, "encoding", None)
+        if not encoding:
+            encoding = "UTF-8"
+        return encoding
+
     def get_usage(self):
         """Replace standard help header"""
         if self.usage: