> I don't understand how NFTs change anything, though? Like, why do I care that Bob technically "owns" the file that I have a bit-for-bit identical version of?

Yeah. And Bob just has some blockchain token that signifies nothing, except maybe to enthusiasts of this NFT technology. There's no actual ownership of the file there, not even "technically."

I suppose you could create a Torrens title system that uses NFTs, but all the force will come from the law not the NFT technology.

The 3 ways to look at this are from a literal perspective, a legal perspective, and an 'artistic' perspective.

Literally, this changes nothing. A copy is the same artwork as any other.

Legally, having ownership (or partial) of artwork can be enforceable.

Artistically speaking, this seems to mean a lot to a lot of people's sense of value. I guess that's important. It's less important to me but I definitely see where they're coming from.

Legally, I don't think this changes anything either. Unless I'm mistaken, all of this can already be accomplished within the copyright system (albeit with a lot more red tape).

After reading the responses here, I think I'm just gonna have to file this under "I don't care, but if it makes people happy then more power to them." ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I think this can help to verify ownership across national borders, yet I think it might require global governance to overlook the enforcement of these property rights, which I haven't heard too many people discuss.

Copyrights, patents, and trademarks in the US, AFAIK, are basically just the right to sue someone if they infringe on your ownership rights. Even deeds and property ownership require some legal or physical enforcement.

Anyways, I'm curious about this space and hoping I start to hear more conversations in crypto talking about which systems of human governance we want to work hand-in-hand with these blockchains.

It's a social game. Being able to say that you own a meme (a "rare pepe" for example) can win you some popularity. I think popularity translates to influence and that influence has value. The market is trying to figure out what that value is.

You? You don't care. The people who pay do. It makes them feel special and gives them something show off.

I think of it like having your name in the credits of a movie. Nobody should care about that, but they do.