As long as this downloading doesn't interfere with Universal's ability to make money from their copyright, it is technically legal
How would the download of a single episode have any impact on the company itself? I do not see how a single download link could jeopardize Universal in any way.
Anyway, this is why its is...acceptable to download taped episodes, but NOT okay to download ripped dvds
I never actually heard this. I thought companies considered any downloading to be illegal, regardless if its taped or on a dvd. But whether or not it's okay does not stop people from doing it. Does this mean these people who download are bad? Nope, not at all.
As it is, copyright holders can be very protective of what they own, and like to take undue action to defend their property, even if the copyright law is technically not being violated.
I'm not sure all companies are like that. Some just might see places like YouTube and PutFile as a good thing because it's sort of like free advertisement. It costs money to put a trailer, even a small one, on TV, but costs nothing to allow some people to post different copies of the trailer on YouTube or PutFile. In a way, this allows more people to see the trailer, and thus, allows more people to become interested. The same thing goes for music videos.
So while it is illegal, downloading/viewing videos online doesn't always have a negative impact on the company; it can have a positive impact too.
This is why a temporary link is a good idea.
Temporary links are good to a certain extent. They do get the job done; but the negative part about them is this: it only stays up for a short amount of time, and thus anyone who wanted to download the vid cannot because they missed the deadline.
I experienced the negative side of temp links when I sent someone a music video, and had to reupload it because when they got the message, the link already expired.