[BelenusMordred]

You're not wrong but that system only works on a very small scale. Do you really think the authors would be amenable to answering 10000 emails with the exact same request?

[ebiester]

In general, an averagely successful paper in most disciplines will get 200-250 readers. It’s only when there is outsized media attention that there is any issue.

And luckily, for those cases today, sci-hub is available.

[worik]

A lot more readers than that, surely? In most disciplines there are a lot of, er, disciples. What is the definition of "moderately successful?"

Perhaps you mean citations?

[pmyteh]

The modal number of citations for an academic paper is ~0. 200 citations is a very successful paper in any discipline.

[pmyteh]

Fortunately(?) most of us will never be in a position where even 10 people ask to do that...