diff --git a/policies/trademark_registration.md b/policies/trademark_registration.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..fb8cb91
--- /dev/null
+++ b/policies/trademark_registration.md
@@ -0,0 +1,28 @@
+## Trademark Registration for Projects
+
+While projects usually retain a common-law trademark to their marks, it can be benefitial
+to do an actual trademark registration.
+
+Since such a registration incurs cost both to obtain the trademark, and maintain it over
+time, HPSF is not doing it for each member project automatically. Instead projects
+have to request trademark registration from the governing board.
+
+#### Criteria for Consideration
+
+- “Established” or higher project lifecycle
+  - In exceptional cases “Emerging” projects can be considered
+- Demonstrate need/benefit of doing full trademark
+  - Already ran into issues with invalid use of trademark outside of the own project e.g.:
+    - Research projects name things invalid
+    - Commercial products named invalid
+    - Customers/users confused about what is official (i.e. LF) vs. third party effort
+  - Strong likelihood of issues coming up e.g.:
+    - Large diverse user or developer community with many institutions
+    - Derivative projects are very common
+
+#### Process
+
+- Request to Governing Board by project leads
+- (Confidential) presentation laying out how the criteria above apply to the project
+- Governing Board reviews and votes on the request
+