What are the four stages of the copyright test?

What are the four stages of the copyright test?

• A. Protected category, Fixed into material form, Original, Qualifying author
• B. Protected category → Fixed into material form → Original → Qualifying author
• C. Fixed into material form → Original → Protected category → Qualifying author
• D. Original → Protected category → Fixed into material form → Qualifying author

Answer: (B)

The four stages test checks whether a work is eligible for copyright by running it through a sequence of requirements: it must belong to a protected category, be fixed in a tangible form, be original, and have a qualifying author. It makes the most sense to start by confirming the work fits into a protected category—literary, musical, artistic, and so on—because if a work isn’t the right type at all, nothing else matters. If it passes that screen, the next step is fixation in a tangible medium of expression, since ideas or performances that exist only in the mind aren’t protected. Once fixed, the work must be original, meaning it was independently created with some creative contribution. Finally, there must be a qualifying author—the person or entity that holds the rights, such as the creator or a recognized employer in a work-for-hire situation. This ordered approach corresponds to the sequence Protected category → Fixed into material form → Original → Qualifying author. Reordering steps would blur the logical prerequisites (for example, checking originality or authorship before establishing the work is in a protected category or fixed in a tangible form), which is why the given order is the correct one.

The four stages test checks whether a work is eligible for copyright by running it through a sequence of requirements: it must belong to a protected category, be fixed in a tangible form, be original, and have a qualifying author. It makes the most sense to start by confirming the work fits into a protected category—literary, musical, artistic, and so on—because if a work isn’t the right type at all, nothing else matters. If it passes that screen, the next step is fixation in a tangible medium of expression, since ideas or performances that exist only in the mind aren’t protected. Once fixed, the work must be original, meaning it was independently created with some creative contribution. Finally, there must be a qualifying author—the person or entity that holds the rights, such as the creator or a recognized employer in a work-for-hire situation. This ordered approach corresponds to the sequence Protected category → Fixed into material form → Original → Qualifying author. Reordering steps would blur the logical prerequisites (for example, checking originality or authorship before establishing the work is in a protected category or fixed in a tangible form), which is why the given order is the correct one.