Rule 1002 Requirement of the Original

If you want to prove what a document, recording, or photo actually says, you generally need to bring the real, original version to court. You can't just describe it or tell the court what you remember it saying. Copies or summaries usually won't work as proof of the content.

There are exceptions built into the evidence rules or found in Commonwealth law that allow other ways to prove content in certain situations, like when the original is lost or unavailable. But unless one of those exceptions applies, courts expect the original item as the best proof of what it contains.