‘A brilliant copy every time!’

A brilliant copy every time' was a slogan of Sony Group's ads and commercials for the Minidisc in the mid-1990s. This chapter elaborates on the assumption that the conceptual distinction Original_Copy (also related to digital objects and processes) is still powerful and influential, despite all formal objections and paradoxical anachronisms. It expands on the historical point of origin of this proportion, which is believed to be a responsible for a certain mythologisation that continues to be relevant up to today. The chapter shows how to practically make use of Original_Copy in cultural analysis. It discusses three selected positions and exemplary studies that may help to understand the difficult relationship between original and copy and make it fruitful with regard to the digitisation in cultural fields. The copyright law is still the starting point of the need for a descending logic of the original, because it is the only way to maintain the established and traditional value chains.