The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 7 letter word COPYING
I've seen this crossword clue in The Daily Telegraph
C
O
P
Y
I
N
G
Buddy explains!

The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does COPYING mean?
COPYING verb- To produce an object identical to a given object.
- To give or transmit a copy to (a person).
- To place a copy of an object in memory for later use.
- To imitate.
- To receive a transmission successfully.
- An instance of the making of a copy
- The practice of making one or more copies