by his own rights
From the movie Dogville.
Tom was a writer. At any rate, by his own rights. His output as committed to paper was so far limited to the words great" and "small," followed by a question mark, but nevertheless meticulously archived in one of his many bureau drawers.
What does "by his own rights" mean here? It's the same as "in his own rights"?

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Answer

Hello YESarev!
In the text the term "by his own rights" means that he has earned (or been given the title) of being "a writer" by himself and not necessarily because of an educational qualification or because of anyone else's opinion of his writing. 
Another explanation would be: "earning the rights or tittle of something because of your own ability, effort, or situation and not because of anyone or anything else."
I hope that helps!

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