Lyman,
I have several patents, and have been through the process and application. In the aviation world, you have to look at the history of aviation to understand just how many patents may be out there.
The paint scheme is a trademark, but each scheme or configuration needs to go through cert, simply due to weights on the paint. Sorry, but in the grand scheme of things, when the FAA certs are down to tens of pounds, the paint on a 747 can weigh a lot!