What exactly does “derivative work” mean?
“Derivative work” is a legal term that comes straight from the Copyright Act. Here’s how the law defines it, in part: “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.” Generally speaking, mash-ups and remixes are derivative works. Under CC licenses, incorporating a song into a video is a derivative work, too.
