Well, first off, the download limit is pretty much a nonissue. There is one (25/day throughout the Grooby network, last I knew), and using a VPN will eventually generate a prompt for your credentials. However, the streaming videos served by the site are identical to the downloadable vids, have no viewing limit, and can be saved via any competent stream ripping app/extension. As long as you aren't crawling the place with an automated script greedy enough to trip any porn site's traffic limiter, you can collect to your heart's desire.
The real bugaboo remains the DRM thing, which is particularly frustrating because nobody even really knows whether it's still in use. What is known is that the reason it's curtailed most uploading is that Grooby has been ruthless with some of the people they've caught. Lots of sites use DRM tracking to admonish members or issue site bans. In Grooby's case, on the other hand, think 2000s DMCA cases, when gay sites like Corbin Fisher were bludgeoning pirates into submission with the threat of both legal action, and outing them to their friends and families. That kind of nasty.
As for the technology itself, it's apparently more sophisticated than the old 2000s-style watermarks (I had the site for the particular software they use bookmarked at one point, but I've lost track of it). It's applied to every frame, and can't be eradicated simply by messing with the picture itself. It's also supposedly costly and time-consuming, and this, combined with the fact that there haven't been any personal stories about Grooby bringing the hammer down for a couple of years now, has fueled speculation that things are back to normal. There's just no way to tell without someone with real expertise (think warez topsite guys) broadly confirming it, and those in the know seem to think there's no interest from them in doing so.
The less-terrible news is that there still is at least a trickle of content available. The UnionDHT tracker has some recent monthly packs, for example. Thank you for reading my ridiculously long post.