{"id":248990,"date":"2026-01-17T04:31:07","date_gmt":"2026-01-17T04:31:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/248990\/"},"modified":"2026-01-17T04:31:07","modified_gmt":"2026-01-17T04:31:07","slug":"apollonia-says-prince-would-be-appalled-by-estate-trademark-seizure","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/248990\/","title":{"rendered":"Apollonia Says Prince \u2018Would Be Appalled\u2019 by Estate Trademark Seizure"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tApollonia says Prince<\/a> never meant to cause her any sorrow, so his estate shouldn\u2019t either.<\/p>\n

\n\tIn a new declaration filed in her federal court lawsuit<\/a> on Friday, the model and actress known as Apollonia claims Prince was \u201cadamant\u201d during a face-to-face meeting two months before his death that she should keep using and performing under the name he gave her to play his love interest in the iconic 1984 movie, Purple Rain.<\/p>\n

\n\tApollonia, 66, says that Susan Moonsie, another member of the girl group Apollonia 6 that Prince formed after the film\u2019s release, was with her for the Feb. 28, 2016, meeting that took place immediately after Prince\u2019s Piano and a Microphone concert <\/a>in Oakland, California.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cDuring our conversations that evening, Prince was adamant that we continue with our ventures such as musical performances, merchandising, and audiovisual projects, and that he wanted us both to use our Apollonia and Apollonia 6 trademarks in order to be able to earn a living, stay creative, and be financially secure in our later years,\u201d Apollonia, born Patricia Kotero, wrote.<\/p>\n

\n\tKotero, who\u2019s now suing the estate, says Prince never trademarked the name while he was alive, so the estate\u2019s Paisley Park Enterprises was out of line when it assumed control of the Apollonia trademark last June and sought to cancel her other registrations and applications in a proceeding with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Kotero is now asking the court to reject the estate\u2019s request that her lawsuit be dismissed.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThe truth is none of this litigation would have occurred if Prince were still alive,\u201d she wrote in her declaration filed Friday. \u201cHe would be appalled by the unbecoming conduct of PPE and the efforts by PPE to usurp his wishes. I do not trust PPE, and I am afraid that if PPE is able to accomplish its goal of taking the Apollonia Marks from me, my identity will be lost, my rights will be diminished, my business will be interrupted, and I will be unable to use the Apollonia marks without repercussion from PPE.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\n\tKotero first filed her lawsuit in August, saying she \u201cfamously starred\u201d in Purple Rain, and Prince \u201cconsented to and encouraged\u201d her use of her character\u2019s name before his accidental fentanyl overdose in April 2016 at age 57. She claimed it was \u201chighly likely\u201d that the estate would sue her for trademark infringement if it prevailed in its efforts with the trademark office, so she asked the court for a judicial declaration confirming she\u2019s entitled to her name and marks.<\/p>\n

\n\tIn a statement posted on the official Prince Instagram account<\/a> last August, the estate said the estate had the right to \u201cprotect and preserve Prince\u2019s assets and legacy.\u201d The statement said the estate has repeatedly attempted to resolve the dispute privately and also claimed it offered Kotero multiple opportunities to perform at Paisley Park.<\/p>\n

\n\tIn a motion to dismiss the lawsuit filed Oct. 13, the estate doubled down on the claim it has no intention of blocking Kotero from using the name. \u201cDefendant has never threatened to sue plaintiff, never asked her to cease using her adopted stage name, nor ever asked her to cease any of her business activities,\u201d the motion, obtained by Rolling Stone, said. The estate argued that the question of ownership should be resolved by the trademark office, not the court.<\/p>\n

\n\tIn an amended complaint, Kotero said she believed the estate was attempting to secure control of Apollonia for ventures such as the Purple Rain musical staged at the State Theater in Minneapolis, ahead of a possible Broadway run. She cited a promotional image from the production that showed actress Rachel Webb with the name \u201cAPOLLONIA\u201d printed prominently. Kotero said the image violated her right of publicity. \u201cDefendants do not have the authority to allow a third party to use plaintiff\u2019s name, image, voice, likeness or other indicia of identity, including plaintiff\u2019s likeness from the original film,\u201d her filing said.<\/p>\n

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\n\tThe estate countered that the use of the name beneath a photograph of another actress in advertising materials was insufficient to support a legal claim. \u201cPlaintiff has only alleged that defendant has used the name of a character from Purple Rain, a film in which plaintiff previously appeared,\u201d the estate argued in its dismissal motion.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cWe are very confident that Apollonia will prevail in protecting her name,\u201d Kotero\u2019s lawyer, Daniel M. Cislo, tells Rolling Stone. Lawyers for the estate did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday. A hearing on the estate\u2019s motion to dismiss is scheduled for Feb. 13. <\/p>\n

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\n\tAfter rising to fame in Purple Rain, Kotero toured internationally to promote the film and her hit song \u201cSex Shooter.\u201d She and Prince became \u201clifelong friends,\u201d her lawsuit said, and she co-wrote the Bangles\u2019 1986 hit \u201cManic Monday\u201d with him. She also provided vocals on Prince\u2019s song \u201cTake Me With You,\u201d using her stage name. In 1985, she became a regular on the television series Falcon Crest, again using the name Apollonia. Her self-titled solo album was released in 1988.<\/p>\n

\n\tPrince had no will and no children when he died, leading to a messy battle over his assets. His six siblings ultimately inherited equal interests in his estate.<\/p>\n