diff --git a/libavfilter/avfilter.c b/libavfilter/avfilter.c
index 9d53f8d138..f6695997cb 100644
--- a/libavfilter/avfilter.c
+++ b/libavfilter/avfilter.c
@@ -35,67 +35,19 @@ static AVFilter **filters = NULL;
 #define link_dpad(link)     link->dst-> input_pads[link->dstpad]
 #define link_spad(link)     link->src->output_pads[link->srcpad]
 
-/**
- * helper function to get a pointer to the structure telling the permissions
- * the filter has on the given picture, or to create the structure if it
- * does not yet exist.
- */
-static AVFilterPicPerms *get_perms(AVFilterPic *pic, AVFilterContext *filter)
+AVFilterPicRef *avfilter_ref_pic(AVFilterPicRef *ref, int pmask)
 {
-    AVFilterPicPerms *ret;
-
-    for(ret = pic->perms; ret; ret = ret->next)
-        if(ret->filter == filter)
-            return ret;
-
-    ret = av_malloc(sizeof(AVFilterPicPerms));
-    ret->filter = filter;
-    ret->perms  = 0;
-    ret->next   = pic->perms;
-    pic->perms  = ret;
-
-    return ret;
-}
-
-int avfilter_get_pic_perms(AVFilterPicRef *pic, AVFilterContext *filter)
-{
-    return get_perms(pic->pic, filter)->perms;
-}
-
-void avfilter_add_pic_perms(AVFilterPicRef *pic, AVFilterContext *filter,
-                            int perms)
-{
-    get_perms(pic->pic, filter)->perms |= perms;
-}
-
-AVFilterPicRef *avfilter_ref_pic(AVFilterPicRef *ref, AVFilterContext *filter,
-                                 int pmask)
-{
-    AVFilterPicPerms *pic_perms;
     AVFilterPicRef *ret = av_malloc(sizeof(AVFilterPicRef));
     memcpy(ret, ref, sizeof(AVFilterPicRef));
     ret->perms &= pmask;
     ret->pic->refcount ++;
-
-    if(filter) {
-        pic_perms = get_perms(ref->pic, filter);
-        pic_perms->perms |= ret->perms;
-    }
-
     return ret;
 }
 
 void avfilter_unref_pic(AVFilterPicRef *ref)
 {
-    AVFilterPicPerms *perms;
-
-    if(-- ref->pic->refcount == 0) {
-        for(; ref->pic->perms; ref->pic->perms = perms) {
-            perms = ref->pic->perms->next;
-            av_free(ref->pic->perms);
-        }
+    if(-- ref->pic->refcount == 0)
         ref->pic->free(ref->pic);
-    }
     av_free(ref);
 }
 
@@ -208,7 +160,6 @@ int avfilter_request_frame(AVFilterLink *link)
  * forcing the source filter to do it? */
 void avfilter_start_frame(AVFilterLink *link, AVFilterPicRef *picref)
 {
-    int perms = get_perms(picref->pic, link->dst)->perms;
     void (*start_frame)(AVFilterLink *, AVFilterPicRef *);
 
     start_frame = link_dpad(link).start_frame;
@@ -216,11 +167,11 @@ void avfilter_start_frame(AVFilterLink *link, AVFilterPicRef *picref)
         start_frame = avfilter_default_start_frame;
 
     /* prepare to copy the picture if it has insufficient permissions */
-    if((link_dpad(link).min_perms & perms) != link_dpad(link).min_perms ||
-        link_dpad(link).rej_perms & perms) {
+    if((link_dpad(link).min_perms & picref->perms) != link_dpad(link).min_perms ||
+        link_dpad(link).rej_perms & picref->perms) {
         av_log(link->dst, AV_LOG_INFO,
                 "frame copy needed (have perms %x, need %x, reject %x)\n",
-                perms,
+                picref->perms,
                 link_dpad(link).min_perms, link_dpad(link).rej_perms);
 
         link->cur_pic = avfilter_default_get_video_buffer(link, link_dpad(link).min_perms);