Hacker News Reader

I know I like to unwind at the end of the day by sitting back with an alcoholic beverage and reading through a nice mixed set of song lyrics.

This rationale would prevent providing a cast list for a movie, because you're publishing the casting agent's work without paying them anything.

No, it would not, because a cast list is a set of facts and cannot be copyrighted.

How is a list of people in a proprietary movie legally distinct from a list of elements in a proprietary compound?

I don't understand your question but reiterate that the cast list of a movie cannot in fact be copyrighted.

If you are talking about compounds that are drugs from pharmaceutical companies, those are patented rather than copyrighted.