Why is Apollonia Kotero suing Prince's estate? All you need to know about the lawsuit

American singer-songwriter and actress Patricia Apollonia Kotero is commonly known as Apollonia Kotero or just Apollonia. She sued legendary singer and musician Prince's estate, Paisley Park Enterprises, on August 19, 2025. Apollonia Kotero filed the lawsuit earlier this week, on Tuesday, in a California district court. Patty "Apollonia" Kotero starred as Apollonia in Prince's 1984 musical drama film Purple Rain, directed by Albert Magnoli. She continued performing as an actress and musician under that name for numerous years.

Apollonia Kotero, 66, is suing Prince's estate, Paisley Park Enterprises, over ownership rights to the stage name "Apollonia." In the lawsuit she filed, Kotero requested Paisley Park to cancel all pending applications related to the name Apollonia. She also sought an authoritative order to prevent Prince's estate from interfering with her use of the name Apollonia.

While Apollonia Kotero rose to significant fame after starring in Purple Rain and as the lead singer of the girl band Apollonia 6, she was also involved in modeling. She later appeared in TV series such as Fantasy Island and CHiPs. In the lawsuit filed against Prince's estate, Kotero's lawyers stated that she had already filed a trademark application in 2016. They added that she followed it with three other trademark applications in subsequent years. Kotero's complaint stated:

"All of the goodwill associated with the name and trademark 'Apollonia' for the past four (4) decades is attributable to Plaintiff. Therefore, to protect her brand, Ms. Kotero owns several "Apollonia" trademark applications and registrations."

As per Entertainment Weekly, Apollonia Kotero's lawsuit also accused Prince's estate of "an aggressive campaign" that is:

"Attempting to cancel Apollonia's trademark registrations and block her applications based on the contention that she is not the rightful owner."

Her lawyers claimed that these actions from Paisley Park Enterprises:

"Threaten to disrupt not only Apollonia's livelihood but also her identity, including interfering with Apollonia's relationships with her industry partners."

Kotero's lawsuit also alleged:

"For all of these years neither Prince himself nor anyone on Prince's behalf demanded that Apollonia cease using the name Apollonia or contended that the name did not belong to her either personally or professionally. Defendant will not stop in its efforts to acquire all things related to Prince even though it has no legal right to do so, and for many years Prince himself did not act to obtain such 'things.'"

According to documents obtained by Entertainment Weekly, Kotero's lawsuit also stated:

"For more than forty (40) years Ms. Kotero - the actress, singer, songwriter, producer, and entertainer - has been known as 'Apollonia. In fact, Prince himself consented to and encouraged Apollonia in her professional endeavors as 'Apollonia'."

Prince's estate calls Apollonia Kotero's complaint "frivolous" and "unwarranted"

On August 21, 2025, Paisley Park Enterprises issued a statement on Prince's Instagram account, calling Kotero’s lawsuit "frivolous" and "unwarranted." Their statement read:

"As she acknowledges, Apollonia is the name Prince gave to the character played by Ms. Kotero in Prince's movie, 'Purple Rain,' over forty years ago. We never instructed her to cease using her adopted professional name, nor did we object to her business activities. In fact, we repeatedly offered her opportunities to perform at Paisley Park using this professional name."

Trending

Prince's estate argued that Kotero's complaint failed to address the cancellation with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office regarding the registration of her name, Apollonia. Their statement added:

"We look forward to the rulings in the pending trademark proceedings and a dismissal of Ms. Kotero's recent federal action," the statement continued. "As is our duty, we will continue to protect and preserve Prince's assets and legacy."

×

Was this article helpful?

Thank You for feedback