For an official legal definition of derivative works, the United States Copyright Act of 1976, 17 U.S.C. Section 101 states: A "derivative work" is a work based upon one or more preexisting works, such as a translation, musical arrangement, dramatization, fictionalization, motion picture version, sound recording, art reproduction, abridgment, condensation, or any other form in which a work may be recast, transformed, or adapted. A work consisting of editorial revisions, annotations, elaborations, or other modifications which, as a whole, represent an original work of authorship, is a "derivative work."However, there have been numerous court cases interpreting the law, which complicate things and render this definition incomplete. There must be major or substantial new material for a work to be considered copyrightable as a derivative work. The new material must be sufficiently original and creative to be copyrightable by itself.Common examples of derivative works are:A new, updated or revised, edition of a book
A translation of a book into another language
A sequel to a novel or motion picture
A novel adapted to a screenplay, stage production, or motion picture
A new musical arrangement of a composition