The timing makes it very tempting to think that this was indeed a sop to H'wood who were no doubt pissed over the admin's rejection of SOPA/PIPA - which in turn was a sop to the Valley moguls. The real problem is that anyone with enough money can buy legislation or even legal action. In the long run, that situation will do far more damage than any bill or bust.

Just my opinion, I don't think that AutoDesk could make money selling cheap Max/Maya etc. because the market isn't that big.  IMO, most of those pirated copies don't get used for much besides taking up HD space of people who really thought they would use them and didn't. If they'd give away a standalone Max2obj converter, probably half the pirated downloads would go away - again IMO. Much of the rest of it is people who want to get into 3D and figure that they want the 'best' program.

AFAIK,there are other sites that offer incentives for frequent downloads. Either way, people will continue to upload with or without the few dollars. - as an act of rebellion if nothing else. Other sites will be smart enough not to have their servers located in freaking Virginia. The business will probably be taken over by the Mafias as well. Ultimately, you can't promote the internet to take down corrupt regimes in other places and attack it to support corruption at home. Now that people can produce and distribute their own movies and 3D TV etc. are coming, Hollywood if facing a day of reckoning - and probably fighting a hoplesss rearguard battle.

"Democracy is a pathetic belief in the collective wisdom of individual ignorance." - H. L. Mencken