There isn't much to know about copyright. If you don't have a license then you can't distribute a copyright work. Just because you can't find someone to give you a license is no excuse.
If they know more than that, then what they know is probably wrong.
You are wrong:
There is much more than that. For example there is copyright expiration, fair use, orphaned worK, etc.. And, the fact that law regarding copyright varies from country to country.
