Snippy? Ok, I missed to type a ;)
Another reason better have "controlled downloads": There are a lot of sites with link-lists where you are able to download items or view images hosted on other sites (some of those sites have a good income from ads, the other site has to pay for the traffic). You aren't able to prevent this if you provide "simple access" to content. This is something well known for people dealing with things (sites) like this without the need to spend time to discuss the basics. This is why I say: Details should be discussed internally by people directly involved and prepared with basic knowledge to save time, avoiding missunderstandings and disputes.
Your arguments against registrations is valueable information anyway. Because we now know that a registration form has to be as simple as possible.