The Prince estate has rebuffed a recent lawsuit filed by singer, songwriter, and Prince music Apollonia over the rights to her name, saying, “As is our duty, we will continue to protect and preserve Prince’s assets and legacy.”
In a lawsuit filed earlier this week, Patricia Apollonia Kotero said the Prince estate was out of line when it claimed ownership of the “Apollonia” trademark in June when it filed an “intent-to-use” application for clothing and entertainment services. Kotero said Prince himself never “contended that the name did not belong to her either personally or professionally.” But she accused the estate of taking steps to cancel her trademark registrations and applications.
In their response on Instagram, the Prince estate called Kotero’s lawsuit “frivolous,” asserting full ownership over the name. They noted that Prince gave Kotero the moniker when she played his love interest in Purple Rain, adding that her “unwarranted lawsuit comes at the tail end of years-long disputes before the Trademark Trial & Appeal board concerning trademark registrations, in which rulings are imminent and with respect to which we have sought a settlement numerous times despite her highly unreasonable demands.”
The Prince estate was, however, careful to insist that, despite claiming ownership over the Apollonia name, they “never instructed [Kotero] to cease using her adopted professional name, nor did we object to her business activities.” The estate also said that they “repeatedly offered [Kotero] opportunities to perform at Paisley Park using this professional name.”
The estate went on to claim that Kotero’s lawsuit “fails to acknowledge the cancellation” of her Apollonia registration by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. “We look forward to the rulings in the pending trademark proceedings and a dismissal of Ms. Kotero’s recent federal action,” they said.
After posting their statement, the estate shared a handful of follow-ups in the comments, where many Prince fans appeared dismayed over their actions. The estate, however, stood firm, explaining that they had to ensure the estate would be able to keep using “the name Prince created and used in his music and in his music and films.”
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In another comment, they said, “We love and support that she uses this name but she cannot limit or reduce the Prince estate’s rights!”
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Kotero did not immediately return Rolling Stone’s request for comment.
This is not the first time Prince’s estate has sparred with one of Prince’s former peers and collaborators over a name. Back in 2022, a similar trademark dispute erupted when Morris Day said the estate was prohibiting from using the name of his old band, Morris Day and the Time. The issue did seem to resolve, at least partly, in Day’s favor, with the musician filing a trademark registration that the Prince estate did not oppose. Still, Day’s attorney told Billboard in early 2023 that the trademark was “only one of a few issues at play,” alluding to disputes over ownership rights to some of the Time’s biggest hits.
