3 What is a remix or adaptation?
NOTE: For the sake of simplicity, the terms “remix”, “adaptation”, and “derivatives” will be assumed to have similar meanings and will be used interchangeably in this chapter.
What defines a remix, adaptation or derivative work depends on the the jurisdiction and applicable copyright law, but generally a remix/adaptation is a “work based on one or more pre-existing works” (Creative Commons, n.d.b). Differently from a collection, an adaptation or remix may alter the original work or mix it with other works in order to create a new product sufficiently original to be protected by copyright. What constitutes originality or original expression can vary depending on the legal traditions of each jurisdiction, but general examples of adaptations include:
- a screenplay based on a novel
- a translation of a work from one language to another
- making a movie based on a short story
- syncing music in timed relation with a moving image
On the other hand, minimal changes to work such as spelling corrections are not considered adaptions. Similarly, transferring content form a media or format to another are also not considered adaptations under a CC license.
Again referring to Angell (2018), an adaptation could be compared to a smoothie, in which ingredients are mixed together in such a way that you cannot easily distinguish one from another.