[zyxley]

But the copyright (if there is one in this case) isn't on the element, it's on the specific visual interpretation of it for branding purposes.

[gabeio]

I still feel like that's basically "copyrighting"/or otherwise the atomic structure of the element...

[weego]

A filled circle with a ring round it that has an intersecting filled circle is not an accurate representation of how a hydrogen atom looks. It is an artistic simplification. There are any number of ways of interpreting it.