Ask HN: Is +1 considered some form of Google intellectual property?

If a blog-type web app wants to keep track of views and likes, and if the most logical way, given the UI, to raise the like count is for the user to click on a link/button/icon of "+1", would there be a legal issue?

I don't think up arrows or thumbs up icons or gray triangles or the word "like" can be legally protected, but something in me tells me that if Amazon could patent 1-click in the United States, Google could find a way to win the argument that half of the characters in "+1" invoke the image of Google+ in consumers' minds and that "+1" should be trademarkable or something.

Anyone know if it is?