An NFT isn't proof of ownership of a work. That already exists: it's called "copyright".

An NFT is "ownership" of a hash of the work, with no actual rights attached thereby.

No one is buying NFTs expecting copyright ownership right now, that's just the nonsense people who are out of it think. There are NFTs that provide copyright with the purchase but that's optional. For now they are an alternative way to directly pay artists. An interesting idea that is gaining traction within the photographing community are people NFTing their photos and releasing them via CC when they are sold. If you buy the nft you get to fund the artist and this collectible has value afterwards.

Usually the more scummy ones you see are limited piece PFP collections with rarity traits etc. The OGs( cryptopunks) where interesting as the first NFTs to be ever made but the current churn is just hype. Besides that the more artistic generative collections like the art blocks curated are interesting. Most of the big pieces are in the collections of people that have no intention to ever sell them. Some are experimenting with online galleries of shorts.

Basically throughout the whole hype bubble with nonsensical projects( crypto is the definition of fuck around and find out) there are some who are exploring some cool artistic stuff. Personally I never understood high art so I'm staying out of it.

Also don't get caught up on the prices, these are priced in Eth, not $$. Eth was $80 a couple years ago and a few cents when it launched( and yes I do know people who have held eth since way back then). When something appreciates so fast it makes sense that some people are more willing to spend it in such ways.

1. Patreon exists, this seems like a far safer way to support the creation of art (and a lot of artists already use it heavily).

2. The monetization of art is a heavily controversial topic and a lot of artists rightly think that patronage is a much better system to exist under since it provides a more reliable and stable income.

3. Paper is pretty immutable generally speaking. I don't think NFTs will actually significantly impact issues around long term art providence with both laundering and forgeries still remaining prominent. Additionally, almost all of the art world already supports publicly anonymous transactions to protect purchaser privacy.

4. I think there's some interesting stuff in this realm with interactive art - but I think there are ways to accomplish much the same thing with conventional sale processes.

Do you have any examples?