Rule 1003 Admissibility of Duplicates

A copy of a document can be used in court just like the original in most cases. You do not need to bring the actual original to prove something.

There are two situations where a copy might not be allowed. First, if someone seriously questions whether the original document is real, the court may require the original instead. Second, if using a copy instead of the original would somehow be unfair to one of the parties, the judge can reject the copy.

For most everyday situations, a good quality copy works fine in court. The rule is meant to make things practical, since tracking down originals can sometimes be difficult or impossible.