Yes, we were hoping we would get link back to our product or company. Linking inwards really is a pathetic UX, even at the expense of SEO. I hope Google sees and penalizes such UX.
Many sites have played the "dozens of links inward" game for some time. Almost every business site will provide links for every business or stock mentioned, all heading inward into their site further.
Here's an example: the first article I clicked on on the first page I knew behaved similarly: http://www.cnbc.com/id/100644923
Looks pretty similar.