legal - How can I determine the copyright of an image found via web search?

I need a public domain image for use on a cover for a new edition of a book. I found an image I love, but I don't know if it's in the public domain, or if somebody (the artist, presumably) still holds the copyright.

Specifically, the image is this:

Is there a way, short of hiring Columbo or Rockford, to find out if a particular image is copyrighted?

I'm not sure this is the best place to ask this, but I asked a similar question on the Patents StackExchange site, and was told my (copyright) question was definitely not about patents (true, but they seem related to me).

Use "Google search by image":

http://images.google.com/imghp

Click in the cam icon, and upload your photo or paste the url.

With this, and a bit of time, you can search the image source.

Pd: All images are by default, copyrighted in the United States

Pd2: Scott-mckowen is the illustrator of this book

For the most part you can't, and you should assume any image you find is copyrighted unless it's specifically attributed as public domain.

Having said that, one service that does a image copyright search is PicScout.

After uploading an image by using either the drag and drop or upload feature, PicScout Search finds the image stored in the PicScout Platform and provides a link to the image’s license.

This seems to require the owner of the image actually registering it with PicScout, but hey it's one place to check.

Additional info on the subject:

• The Best Ways to Be Sure You're Legally Using Online Photos
• How do you know if an image is copyrighted?