usenet is one giant copyright violation. Almost nothing ever posted there is done so with permission of the copyright holder. There are exceptions, but they are rare. There is very little that is truely in the public domain. Many people claim they are showing something that is public domain, but they are wrong. Photographs are owned by the photographer (or heirs) for 75 years. A photograph of an old photograph, or art, etc... can go for another 75 years. Photographs do not have to say "copyright..." to be copyrighted. They are copyrighted automatically just by being photographs. Unless you have written permission from the photographer telling you what you can do with a picture, you do not have the right to use it. If a photographer gives you the right to use his photo on your web site, that doesn't give you permission to use it in a product (free or otherwise). You need specific permission for your type of use. When somebody gives you permission to use an object or texture for non-commercial use, that does not give you the right to include it as part of a freebie. You have to get their permission (and you better do it in writing). Buying an object or photo does not give you the right to use it in something you sell or give away unless those rights were expressly given by the person who owns the rights to it. And just because somebody says you can do what you want with something doesn't mean THEY have the right to say that. They might not understand who really owns the rights. In other words, take your own pictures and use them. Those you can be sure of. But even then be careful. You can't take recognizeable pictures of people and use their image in a product without their permission. You can't take pictures of art, even in a public place, and publish it or use it in a product without the permission of the artist. The list goes on...