Prince’s estate responds to “frivolous” lawsuit from Apollonia
Prince‘s estate has responded after singer Apollonia accused them of attempting to “steal” her name.
Earlier this week, Patricia Apollonia Kotero filed a 14-page complaint against the late singer’s estate, Paisley Park Enterprises. She previously starred as Prince’s love interest, Apollonia, in the 1984 concert film Purple Rain.
In the filing, obtained by Rolling Stone, Kotero claimed Prince never asked her to stop going by the name Apollonia and didn’t “contend that the name did not belong to her either personally or professionally”.
The lawsuit was filed after Prince’s estate allegedly filed an “intent-to-use” application, which would allow them to use the name for entertainment services and clothing.
Now, the estate has hit back. “Regrettably, Ms. Patty Kotero a/k/a ‘Apollonia’ filed a frivolous lawsuit,” their response, posted on social media, began. “
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,” they continued.
The estate then claimed: “In fact, we repeatedly offered her opportunities to perform at Paisley Park using this professional name.”
They also described it as an “unwarranted lawsuit”, and said it comes at the “tail end of years-long disputes before the Trademark Trial & Appeal Board concerning trademark registrations,” which are expected to come to an end imminently.
The statement added: “Unsurprisingly, her suit fails to acknowledge the cancellation of her APOLLONIA registration by the United States Patent & Trademark Office.”
The estate concluded: “We look forward to the rulings in the pending trademark proceedings and a dismissal of Ms. Kotero’s recent federal action. As is our duty, we will continue to protect and preserve Prince’s assets and legacy.”
See the full statement below.
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