Please note MDKII this is not pointing a finger against anyone. This post is to explain how royalty free and copyright works.
you are the only one here that is not understanding what a rf license is.
Q: Can I use royalty-free images for free?
A: No. Royalty-free means that once a license fee is paid, the images may be used many times without paying additional fees, but the initial license is necessary to protect yourself and your clients. When you license a royalty-free image, you can use it in nearly any application, for as long as you like, according to your license agreement (although some kinds of uses do require an extended license). The cost is often based on file size, the number of permitted users as well as other factors.
Rf licenses can't be transferred.
Copyright
Q: What is copyright?
A: Copyright is a form of protection provided by the law to the authors of “original works of authorship.” By virtue of the Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works, works are protected in all 160 countries that are party to the Convention, as well as various other laws such as the US copyright act.
Q: Does this apply to all images?
A: Yes, this applies to all images. From the time it is created, a photo or other image is automatically protected by copyright.
Q: What is copyright infringement?
A: Infringement can include a violation of the rights of the creator or rights holder. Examples of imagery infringement may include:
• Use of whole or part of an image without permission
• Use beyond the scope of a license or permission
• Adapting an image without permission (art rendering)
• Asking another photographer to identically recreate the image
Q: Who’s responsible when infringement occurs?
A: Responsible parties may include:
• The party that infringed (the photographer or the person that stole the image in the first place), even if unintentionally
• Employees or others who participated in the original infringement
• Anyone who published the infringing image, whether they had knowledge or not
• Anyone who authorized or encouraged infringement
Q: Why should I worry about copyright infringement?
A: Infringement of copyright may result in monetary damages, lawsuits, costly legal fees and under some rare circumstances, criminal charges.
Q: Surely no-one will be able to find one image in the whole of the internet?
A: New technology now enables copyright owners to identify unlicensed imagery and act to protect their rights. Imagery is ‘fingerprinted’ so that it can be tracked and found in use, even if it has been modified, recreated or if only part of the image has been used. The image is then flagged up to the copyright owner so that they can check if the correct license is held.
Q: I’m using an image I found through a Google Image search. If it’s on the internet, doesn’t that mean it’s free?
A: No. Just because an image is on the internet, it doesn’t mean the image is free to use. You may still need the correct license to use it. There is a difference between an image being online and an image being “in the public domain” (the term given to content that is not owned or controlled by anyone).