There are many site's using duplicate content, such as aggregators and Google News. And yes, Google can read duplicate images - they even have an API that is able to read images and display similar images from site's across the web. G's actions are primarily based on site reputation, user interaction (on-site and in-search). While those are both extremely broad terms, in a sense it's how legit or "spammy" your site is. If you are going to use duplicate content, make the site as real as possible and not PBN related.