Those have always been the rules, though obviously they were set in place before sharing pdfs was even a thing
The reason catalogs are made available before the catalog period begins is to allow demonstrators to order supplies and plan their business activities. Sharing with customers in person helps the relationship and is a perk for having a relationship with a demonstrator. See it as the company taking care of the demonstrator. Obviously it's also a way to get excitement going for the new products but it's not a bad-business kind of move. It's smart business. Consider that they are also still trying to sell products from the other catalogs and every time a new release comes out it diverts attention.
I'm a hobby demo but order a lot from other companies. Every time I see info about new products coming out from other companies I don't expect them to show me the whole offering until they're ready. I have to trust that they make decisions based on what works for them and let it go since I want them to do well so that we keep them as an option. It's sad to see so many craft companies closing.
2021 Mini catalog fairies???
