Sometimes the aim is not to replace a nanopublication but to make a different one that builds on it: a variant of a definition, an adaptation of a template, a claim narrowed to another case. This is a derivation. The new nanopublication records prov:wasDerivedFrom pointing to the old one, mints fresh identifiers for what it introduces, and leaves the old nanopublication as it is.

Since nothing is replaced, deriving works across keys: anyone may derive from anyone's nanopublication. Nanodash offers \"derive\" next to \"supersede\".