By Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone | While the estate asserts ownership over “Apollonia,” they insist they never told the former Prince muse “to cease using” it. 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.”
> > > > > > > > > >
More about this “name” problem here… Reminds us of the “Lady A” debacle:
https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/prince-estate-apollonia-lawsuit-name-rights-frivolous-1235413831/
[We thank COMBO member Julie Mascilli for alerting us to this article/problem.]
August 28, 2025| Music-Related Business| Barb Dye