copyright in derivative works

People often ask me about derivative works (and who owns them) so today I’m turning the  spotlight on that topic. The United States Copyright Act (17 U.S.C. Section 101) defines a “derivative work” as: A work based upon one or more pre-existing 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.” In