Distributing the files that were on the Staff-Only Cart would also be illegal then, but you seem to have no problem with that.
I think he's curious as to how distribution cartridges work. Are they just normal game cartridges with the .pcd file loaded on them, then put into a normal DS? Or are they specially formatted for distribution.
If they are specially formatted cartridges, then they would not be Retail Cartridges, therefore, they would have no Copyrights. Therefore, it would be completely legal for us to view and distribute said ROM from that legal aspect.