The Copyright law grants the owner of the copyright exclusive rights to copy, modify, publish etc. As a consequence, if the use of a copyrighted work involves any of the activities for which the owner of the copyright has exclusive rights, it is necessary to obtain permission prior to such use.
Using a copyrighted work without permission would be an infringement of the copyright law and the copyright holder could file a lawsuit. The law provides for the copyright holder to be compensated substantially for damages and the legal costs. . If the lawsuit is successful the penalties could range from a fine of $200 - $150,000, court costs and attorney's fees. There are also potential criminal fines and imprisonment.