It seems that unlike in civil law countries, in common law countries such as the UK and US, a license is a separate legal category from a contract. A license c

It seems that unlike in civil law countries, in common law countries such as the UK and US, a license is a separate legal category from a contract. A license can be interpreted as a contract as well, but you can make a "bare license" that is simply a grant of permission and not a contract all. In civil law countries such as continental Europe, all copyright licenses are interpreted as contracts. My understanding is based on this LWN article summarizing the opinions of several legal experts on the subject: https://lwn.net/Articles/747563/ https://lwn.net/Articles/747563/