This summary is not the rule. The rule text controls.
If you want to prove what a document, recording, or photo actually says or shows, you generally need to bring the original to court. A copy usually isn't good enough if the actual content is what's being argued about.
This rule exists to prevent mistakes or disputes about what a document really said. If someone testifies about the content of a contract, a letter, or a recording, the court wants the real thing whenever possible instead of relying on someone's memory or a copy that might have errors.
There are exceptions built into the rules and laws that allow copies or other evidence in certain situations, like when the original is lost, destroyed, or impossible to get. But unless one of those exceptions applies, the original is what the court expects to see.
