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A person that makes a copy of anything copyrighted without permission has indeed violated the copyright. However, anyone down the line that obtains a copy of that violated work is also in violation. For example, if I copy a copyrighted song from a friend's CD that I like and put it on my MP3 player, I have violated the copyright for that song. If I burn a copy of that song to a CD and give it to someone else and they choose to keep it, they are now in violation. Ignorance of the law is not an acceptable excuse in a court of law. If you get clocked going 55 mph in a 30 mph zone and you tell the officer you didn't know that was the speed limit, odds are, you'll still get the ticket. If it goes to court, you'll still get the fine.
I'm not assuming anyone on here would ever do this, but if someone illegally copied an ebook and began "sharing" it via emails or their website (however), that one person will be subject to the copyright laws if caught. So will anyone else who obtained a copy from them...if caught.
About your second question:
You really answered your own question. If a person has permission from the source to distribute something, then nothing has been violated. A copyright protects the owner of said copyright from losing credit for their work (or money). If they own it, they can give it away all they want.
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