Apollonia Settles Trademark Dispute With Prince Estate Over Rights to Her Stage Name

Actress and singer Patty Kotero, known professionally as Apollonia, has settled a trademark dispute with Prince’s estate over the rights to the “Apollonia” name, resolving a case that had been set for a court hearing in Los Angeles.

Kotero told a federal court on April 9 that she would dismiss her lawsuit against Paisley Park Enterprises, which manages Prince’s estate. Her attorney confirmed the dispute had been resolved and said she was “very pleased with the outcome.”

The settlement was reached days before a scheduled hearing on the estate’s request to dismiss the case, which had been set in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. Representatives for the estate did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The dispute focused on competing claims over the commercial use of the “Apollonia” name, which Kotero has used professionally since the 1980s following her role opposite Prince in the 1984 film “Purple Rain.” She has continued to use the name in connection with entertainment projects, including her podcast, “Apollonia Studio 6.”

According to court filings, the estate applied last year for a federal trademark for “Apollonia” covering clothing and entertainment services. It also asked the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to cancel Kotero’s existing registration, arguing it held rights to the name based on agreements she signed in 1983 and 1984 during her work with Prince.

Kotero challenged those efforts in her lawsuit filed last August, asking the court to confirm that she owns the rights to the name. She also argued the estate waited too long to challenge her trademark rights.

The estate responded that it had not tried to prevent Kotero from using the name and called the lawsuit an attempt to avoid a possible unfavorable decision at the trademark office, where cancellation proceedings were also underway.

Trademark disputes like this usually focus on two questions: who has the first rights to a name, and whether those rights were later transferred through contracts. In general, trademark law protects the party that first uses a name in commerce for specific products or services. Continued use and federal registration can strengthen those rights over time.

Contracts can also change who controls those rights. In the entertainment industry, performers sometimes sign agreements that give ownership of stage names or branding to a producer or company. When disputes arise, courts examine those contracts closely to determine whether the performer kept any rights or whether control was given to someone else.

A separate process takes place at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, where parties can challenge existing registrations. These proceedings can happen at the same time as court cases and can affect how a dispute is decided, especially when questions about ownership and prior use overlap.

Kotero filed a notice of dismissal with the court on Wednesday. Terms of the settlement were not disclosed.