AMD's FSR 4 Blunder: The Unstoppable Power of a Permissive License

In a move that has sent ripples through the tech community, AMD recently found itself in a rather awkward position after accidentally releasing a preview version of its much-anticipated FidelityFX Super Resolution 4.0 (FSR 4.0) under an incredibly permissive MIT license. While initially presented as a sneak peek of the upcoming technology, this open-source "whoopsie-daisy" has ignited a fascinating discussion about the irreversible nature of certain software licenses and the unexpected power of the developer community.

The core of the issue lies with the MIT license itself.

Renowned for its brevity and generosity, the MIT license essentially grants anyone the right to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell copies of the software, and to permit persons to whom the software is furnished to do so, all without restriction. Crucially, it comes with almost no strings attached, save for the requirement that the license text accompanies any distribution.

This makes it a developer-favorite for projects intended for maximum adoption and minimal legal headache, but also an absolute nightmare if you ever want to retract those granted permissions.

AMD's intention, by their own admission, was to offer a "very early preview" of FSR 4.0 during a GDC presentation.

The code was temporarily made available, seemingly as a goodwill gesture for developers eager to glimpse the future of their upscaling tech. However, the accompanying MIT license turned what was meant to be a fleeting look into a permanent grant of rights. Once the code, even if a preview, is published under MIT, those rights are bestowed upon anyone who accesses it, irrevocably.

The company quickly moved to pull the code, attempting to mitigate the situation by stating it was not an official FSR 4.0 release and emphasizing that the final version would be different.

Yet, the internet, as it often does, had already captured and distributed the code. The cat, in essence, was out of the bag – and under an MIT license, there's no real way to put it back. The legal mechanisms for revoking such a broad license are virtually non-existent, leaving AMD in a unique predicament.

This situation presents a fascinating duality.

On one hand, it's a significant headache for AMD, potentially leading to fragmentation of their FSR ecosystem. Developers who downloaded the MIT-licensed preview are now free to use, modify, and even build upon that specific iteration of FSR 4.0 indefinitely. This could lead to independent, community-driven forks of the technology, which might diverge significantly from AMD's official, proprietary releases.

On the other hand, it also represents an unprecedented opportunity for innovation.

Imagine a scenario where the community takes this "accidental" FSR 4.0 and refines it, optimizes it, or integrates it into projects in ways AMD might not have even considered. It effectively democratizes a piece of advanced graphics technology, putting the power directly into the hands of a broader developer base.

AMD might even find itself in a position where the community's work informs or pushes the development of their official versions.

Ultimately, this incident serves as a stark reminder of the gravity of open-source licensing. While open source fosters collaboration and transparency, it also demands careful consideration and adherence to the terms chosen.

For AMD, this "whoopsie" may just be the catalyst for a more open and community-involved approach to FSR, or a complex challenge they'll need to navigate in the years to come. One thing is clear: the MIT license, once granted, is a powerful and enduring promise.