> Wouldn't that make it a derivative work, legally speaking?
IANAL, but:
I think not, facts are not under copyright. If you only copy facts (and avoid copying style), then you are not creating derivative work.
Furthermore, works created by federal employees in the course of their duties are not eligible for copyright in the U.S. [0] The U.S. does not have an equivalent of crown copyright. The U.S. government can only own copyrights transferred to them by private individuals or organizations, or state and local governments which may or may not hold copyrights on their works.
IANAL, but:
I think not, facts are not under copyright. If you only copy facts (and avoid copying style), then you are not creating derivative work.
Furthermore, works created by federal employees in the course of their duties are not eligible for copyright in the U.S. [0] The U.S. does not have an equivalent of crown copyright. The U.S. government can only own copyrights transferred to them by private individuals or organizations, or state and local governments which may or may not hold copyrights on their works.
[0]: https://www.usa.gov/government-works