At a recent forum, I was asked the following question:

 

I intend to author a book which will be a study utensil specifically targeting certain select academia. I hope to use images to convey certain ideas and there will be a lot of visuals.

 

Are there pictures that are considered free domain?

Can I use a image that appears to have many multiple sources?

If I find an image I like on the internet, what cues are there to whether or not I can copy/paste this image into my format and sell the final product?

 

Generally, any photograph that is downloaded from the internet is subject to copyright law (which since 1989, protects works automatically upon creation--though federal registration confers certain benefits such as enhanced damages and is required for certain things, including litigation of copyright matters--another topic altogether).  This is true unless the copyright owner specifically grants you a license to use it or elects to release the image into the public domain. Simply posting a photo on the internet does NOT automatically make it public domain. 

There are good sites for buying stock image licenses, such as iStockPhoto, but one must carefully read the terms of the license you are buying, as this will govern exactly how you can use the image(s). Also, images released under the Creative Commons license may suit your application, but be sure to check the designations accompanying the license, as various versions are available (look here for a detailed explanation).

An image's having multiple sources is not indicative of any increased ability for one to use it in any way, without obtaining a license. 

Aside from an express grant of permission, there is no real indicia for whether you can copy/paste directly from the internet for your own personal/commercial use, unless you find a website that claims its images to be public domain and free for any and all use. Even then, however, one is not in the clear; there may exist an argument that the images were acquired properly, but there is nothing to say that the website conveying such a message regarding its images knows the true copyright status of any of those images. 

Thus, the rule of thumb is unequivocally: do not lift images from the web for use in commercial works of any kind.

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