Best evidence rule

The best evidence rule is a legal principle that holds an original of a document as superior evidence. The rule specifies that secondary evidence, such as a copy or facsimile, will be not admissible if an original document exists and can be obtained.^[1] The rule has its roots in 18th-century British law,^[2] at a time when copies would be rewritten by hand and hence more vulnerable to inaccuracies.^{[citation needed]}