> I don't know about that. Would "I didn't know it was real" really count as a legal defense?

Absolutely-- prosecution would presumably need to at least show that you could have known the material was "genuine".

This could be a huge legal boon for prosecuted "direct customers" and co-perpetrators that can only be linked via shared material.

I'm really not convinced. This sounds very idealistic to me. The "justice" system is way more brutal in real life.