That is completely incorrect; copyright has nothing to do with payment.
Copyright is about distribution and nothing else. It allows a copyright holder to decide if, when, and how his/her work is distributed (which might be payment-free!). It does not govern what you do with the work once you've obtained it, as long as you do not try to redistribute.
For example, you can flip through a book if you want to, because it's already been paid for.