diff --git a/builder/dockerfile/copy.go b/builder/dockerfile/copy.go
index ad9b08dfef..4e1c7e06dc 100644
--- a/builder/dockerfile/copy.go
+++ b/builder/dockerfile/copy.go
@@ -64,6 +64,7 @@ type copyInstruction struct {
 	dest                    string
 	chownStr                string
 	allowLocalDecompression bool
+	preserveOwnership       bool
 }
 
 // copier reads a raw COPY or ADD command, fetches remote sources using a downloader,
@@ -466,7 +467,7 @@ func downloadSource(output io.Writer, stdout io.Writer, srcURL string) (remote b
 
 type copyFileOptions struct {
 	decompress bool
-	identity   idtools.Identity
+	identity   *idtools.Identity
 	archiver   Archiver
 }
 
@@ -532,7 +533,7 @@ func isArchivePath(driver containerfs.ContainerFS, path string) bool {
 	return err == nil
 }
 
-func copyDirectory(archiver Archiver, source, dest *copyEndpoint, identity idtools.Identity) error {
+func copyDirectory(archiver Archiver, source, dest *copyEndpoint, identity *idtools.Identity) error {
 	destExists, err := isExistingDirectory(dest)
 	if err != nil {
 		return errors.Wrapf(err, "failed to query destination path")
@@ -541,28 +542,40 @@ func copyDirectory(archiver Archiver, source, dest *copyEndpoint, identity idtoo
 	if err := archiver.CopyWithTar(source.path, dest.path); err != nil {
 		return errors.Wrapf(err, "failed to copy directory")
 	}
-	// TODO: @gupta-ak. Investigate how LCOW permission mappings will work.
-	return fixPermissions(source.path, dest.path, identity, !destExists)
+	if identity != nil {
+		// TODO: @gupta-ak. Investigate how LCOW permission mappings will work.
+		return fixPermissions(source.path, dest.path, *identity, !destExists)
+	}
+	return nil
 }
 
-func copyFile(archiver Archiver, source, dest *copyEndpoint, identity idtools.Identity) error {
+func copyFile(archiver Archiver, source, dest *copyEndpoint, identity *idtools.Identity) error {
 	if runtime.GOOS == "windows" && dest.driver.OS() == "linux" {
 		// LCOW
 		if err := dest.driver.MkdirAll(dest.driver.Dir(dest.path), 0755); err != nil {
 			return errors.Wrapf(err, "failed to create new directory")
 		}
 	} else {
-		if err := idtools.MkdirAllAndChownNew(filepath.Dir(dest.path), 0755, identity); err != nil {
-			// Normal containers
-			return errors.Wrapf(err, "failed to create new directory")
+		if identity == nil {
+			if err := os.MkdirAll(filepath.Dir(dest.path), 0755); err != nil {
+				return err
+			}
+		} else {
+			if err := idtools.MkdirAllAndChownNew(filepath.Dir(dest.path), 0755, *identity); err != nil {
+				// Normal containers
+				return errors.Wrapf(err, "failed to create new directory")
+			}
 		}
 	}
 
 	if err := archiver.CopyFileWithTar(source.path, dest.path); err != nil {
 		return errors.Wrapf(err, "failed to copy file")
 	}
-	// TODO: @gupta-ak. Investigate how LCOW permission mappings will work.
-	return fixPermissions(source.path, dest.path, identity, false)
+	if identity != nil {
+		// TODO: @gupta-ak. Investigate how LCOW permission mappings will work.
+		return fixPermissions(source.path, dest.path, *identity, false)
+	}
+	return nil
 }
 
 func endsInSlash(driver containerfs.Driver, path string) bool {
diff --git a/builder/dockerfile/dispatchers.go b/builder/dockerfile/dispatchers.go
index 07c434259b..4fd59a7831 100644
--- a/builder/dockerfile/dispatchers.go
+++ b/builder/dockerfile/dispatchers.go
@@ -126,7 +126,9 @@ func dispatchCopy(d dispatchRequest, c *instructions.CopyCommand) error {
 		return err
 	}
 	copyInstruction.chownStr = c.Chown
-
+	if c.From != "" && copyInstruction.chownStr == "" {
+		copyInstruction.preserveOwnership = true
+	}
 	return d.builder.performCopy(d, copyInstruction)
 }
 
diff --git a/builder/dockerfile/internals.go b/builder/dockerfile/internals.go
index fbe301cdae..fa35c4f3c0 100644
--- a/builder/dockerfile/internals.go
+++ b/builder/dockerfile/internals.go
@@ -204,7 +204,9 @@ func (b *Builder) performCopy(req dispatchRequest, inst copyInstruction) error {
 		opts := copyFileOptions{
 			decompress: inst.allowLocalDecompression,
 			archiver:   b.getArchiver(info.root, destInfo.root),
-			identity:   identity,
+		}
+		if !inst.preserveOwnership {
+			opts.identity = &identity
 		}
 		if err := performCopyForInfo(destInfo, info, opts); err != nil {
 			return errors.Wrapf(err, "failed to copy files")
diff --git a/integration/build/build_test.go b/integration/build/build_test.go
index 65856a9bb5..c09f746f35 100644
--- a/integration/build/build_test.go
+++ b/integration/build/build_test.go
@@ -522,6 +522,45 @@ func TestBuildWithEmptyDockerfile(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+func TestBuildPreserveOwnership(t *testing.T) {
+	skip.If(t, testEnv.DaemonInfo.OSType == "windows", "FIXME")
+	skip.If(t, versions.LessThan(testEnv.DaemonAPIVersion(), "1.40"), "broken in earlier versions")
+
+	ctx := context.Background()
+
+	dockerfile, err := ioutil.ReadFile("testdata/Dockerfile.testBuildPreserveOwnership")
+	assert.NilError(t, err)
+
+	source := fakecontext.New(t, "", fakecontext.WithDockerfile(string(dockerfile)))
+	defer source.Close()
+
+	apiclient := testEnv.APIClient()
+
+	for _, target := range []string{"copy_from", "copy_from_chowned"} {
+		t.Run(target, func(t *testing.T) {
+			resp, err := apiclient.ImageBuild(
+				ctx,
+				source.AsTarReader(t),
+				types.ImageBuildOptions{
+					Remove:      true,
+					ForceRemove: true,
+					Target:      target,
+				},
+			)
+			assert.NilError(t, err)
+
+			out := bytes.NewBuffer(nil)
+			assert.NilError(t, err)
+			_, err = io.Copy(out, resp.Body)
+			_ = resp.Body.Close()
+			if err != nil {
+				t.Log(out)
+			}
+			assert.NilError(t, err)
+		})
+	}
+}
+
 func writeTarRecord(t *testing.T, w *tar.Writer, fn, contents string) {
 	err := w.WriteHeader(&tar.Header{
 		Name:     fn,
diff --git a/integration/build/testdata/Dockerfile.testBuildPreserveOwnership b/integration/build/testdata/Dockerfile.testBuildPreserveOwnership
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..ba9d059942
--- /dev/null
+++ b/integration/build/testdata/Dockerfile.testBuildPreserveOwnership
@@ -0,0 +1,57 @@
+# Set up files and directories with known ownership
+FROM busybox AS source
+RUN touch /file && chown 100:200 /file \
+ && mkdir -p /dir/subdir \
+ && touch /dir/subdir/nestedfile \
+ && chown 100:200 /dir \
+ && chown 101:201 /dir/subdir \
+ && chown 102:202 /dir/subdir/nestedfile
+
+FROM busybox AS test_base
+RUN mkdir -p /existingdir/existingsubdir \
+ && touch /existingdir/existingfile \
+ && chown 500:600 /existingdir \
+ && chown 501:601 /existingdir/existingsubdir \
+ && chown 501:601 /existingdir/existingfile
+
+
+# Copy files from the source stage
+FROM test_base AS copy_from
+COPY --from=source /file .
+# Copy to a non-existing target directory creates the target directory (as root), then copies the _contents_ of the source directory into it
+COPY --from=source /dir /dir
+# Copying to an existing target directory will copy the _contents_ of the source directory into it
+COPY --from=source /dir/. /existingdir
+
+RUN e="100:200"; p="/file"                         ; a=`stat -c "%u:%g" "$p"`; if [ "$a" != "$e" ]; then echo "incorrect ownership on $p. expected $e, got $a"; exit 1; fi \
+ && e="0:0";     p="/dir"                          ; a=`stat -c "%u:%g" "$p"`; if [ "$a" != "$e" ]; then echo "incorrect ownership on $p. expected $e, got $a"; exit 1; fi \
+ && e="101:201"; p="/dir/subdir"                   ; a=`stat -c "%u:%g" "$p"`; if [ "$a" != "$e" ]; then echo "incorrect ownership on $p. expected $e, got $a"; exit 1; fi \
+ && e="102:202"; p="/dir/subdir/nestedfile"        ; a=`stat -c "%u:%g" "$p"`; if [ "$a" != "$e" ]; then echo "incorrect ownership on $p. expected $e, got $a"; exit 1; fi \
+# Existing files and directories ownership should not be modified
+ && e="500:600"; p="/existingdir"                  ; a=`stat -c "%u:%g" "$p"`; if [ "$a" != "$e" ]; then echo "incorrect ownership on $p. expected $e, got $a"; exit 1; fi \
+ && e="501:601"; p="/existingdir/existingsubdir"   ; a=`stat -c "%u:%g" "$p"`; if [ "$a" != "$e" ]; then echo "incorrect ownership on $p. expected $e, got $a"; exit 1; fi \
+ && e="501:601"; p="/existingdir/existingfile"     ; a=`stat -c "%u:%g" "$p"`; if [ "$a" != "$e" ]; then echo "incorrect ownership on $p. expected $e, got $a"; exit 1; fi \
+# But new files and directories should maintain their ownership
+ && e="101:201"; p="/existingdir/subdir"           ; a=`stat -c "%u:%g" "$p"`; if [ "$a" != "$e" ]; then echo "incorrect ownership on $p. expected $e, got $a"; exit 1; fi \
+ && e="102:202"; p="/existingdir/subdir/nestedfile"; a=`stat -c "%u:%g" "$p"`; if [ "$a" != "$e" ]; then echo "incorrect ownership on $p. expected $e, got $a"; exit 1; fi
+
+
+# Copy files from the source stage and chown them.
+FROM test_base AS copy_from_chowned
+COPY --from=source --chown=300:400 /file .
+# Copy to a non-existing target directory creates the target directory (as root), then copies the _contents_ of the source directory into it
+COPY --from=source --chown=300:400 /dir /dir
+# Copying to an existing target directory copies the _contents_ of the source directory into it
+COPY --from=source --chown=300:400 /dir/. /existingdir
+
+RUN e="300:400"; p="/file"                         ; a=`stat -c "%u:%g" "$p"`; if [ "$a" != "$e" ]; then echo "incorrect ownership on $p. expected $e, got $a"; exit 1; fi \
+ && e="300:400"; p="/dir"                          ; a=`stat -c "%u:%g" "$p"`; if [ "$a" != "$e" ]; then echo "incorrect ownership on $p. expected $e, got $a"; exit 1; fi \
+ && e="300:400"; p="/dir/subdir"                   ; a=`stat -c "%u:%g" "$p"`; if [ "$a" != "$e" ]; then echo "incorrect ownership on $p. expected $e, got $a"; exit 1; fi \
+ && e="300:400"; p="/dir/subdir/nestedfile"        ; a=`stat -c "%u:%g" "$p"`; if [ "$a" != "$e" ]; then echo "incorrect ownership on $p. expected $e, got $a"; exit 1; fi \
+# Existing files and directories ownership should not be modified
+ && e="500:600"; p="/existingdir"                  ; a=`stat -c "%u:%g" "$p"`; if [ "$a" != "$e" ]; then echo "incorrect ownership on $p. expected $e, got $a"; exit 1; fi \
+ && e="501:601"; p="/existingdir/existingsubdir"   ; a=`stat -c "%u:%g" "$p"`; if [ "$a" != "$e" ]; then echo "incorrect ownership on $p. expected $e, got $a"; exit 1; fi \
+ && e="501:601"; p="/existingdir/existingfile"     ; a=`stat -c "%u:%g" "$p"`; if [ "$a" != "$e" ]; then echo "incorrect ownership on $p. expected $e, got $a"; exit 1; fi \
+# But new files and directories should be chowned
+ && e="300:400"; p="/existingdir/subdir"           ; a=`stat -c "%u:%g" "$p"`; if [ "$a" != "$e" ]; then echo "incorrect ownership on $p. expected $e, got $a"; exit 1; fi \
+ && e="300:400"; p="/existingdir/subdir/nestedfile"; a=`stat -c "%u:%g" "$p"`; if [ "$a" != "$e" ]; then echo "incorrect ownership on $p. expected $e, got $a"; exit 1; fi