I think the problem is that zip webpage URL http://familyphotos.zip is a download to a file archive that people will open.

And <a href="http: //perfectlynormalwebsite.com/familyphotos.zip">familyphotos.zip</a> isn't?

Am I missing something? What does the TLD add that wasn't possible before? Auto-vivified links in the 0.001% of users who only read text/plain? C'mon.