Rule 1003 Admissibility of Duplicates

A copy of a document can be used in court just like the original in most cases. Courts treat duplicates as just as valid as the real thing.

There are two situations where a copy might not be allowed. First, if someone has a real reason to doubt whether the original is genuine, the copy may not be accepted. Second, if using a copy instead of the original would somehow be unfair to someone in the case, the judge can refuse it.