Apollonia sues Prince’s estate for the rights to her iconic stage name: ‘There is only one Apollonia’

Patricia “Apollonia” Kotero has filed a lawsuit against Prince’s estate after she claims the estate moved to trademark the name.

Looks like Apollonia is gearing up to fight for the right to continue using her iconic stage name. 

According to a lawsuit filed on Tuesday, August 19 in Los Angeles, Patricia “Apollonia” Kotero claims Prince’s estate is trying to seize control of “Apollonia,” the stage name Prince himself once anointed her with, and that she’s performed under for more than four decades, Entertainment Weekly, Rolling Stone, and People magazine reported. 

In her complaint, the 66-year-old actress and singer argues Prince not only encouraged her to embrace the name during their whirlwind in the 1980s, but that no one in his orbit ever challenged her right to it while he was alive. The lawsuit insists the estate’s recent bid to trademark “Apollonia” for clothing and entertainment, while also moving to cancel her own registrations, is an attempt to rewrite history.

“There is only one Apollonia,” she declared in the complaint, per the outlets. “And Apollonia is the source of the goods and services provided under this name. Therefore, to protect her brand, Ms. Kotero owns several ‘Apollonia’ trademark applications and registrations.”

Apollonia has long been tied to Prince’s mythology. She was his leading lady in the famous film “Purple Rain,” plucked seemingly from nowhere and thrust into the Minneapolis sound and the spotlight. She went on to front the girls group Apollonia 6 in the 1980s and has carried that name into acting, music, and business. 

Earlier this summer, however, according to her suit, the estate quietly filed to register the “Apollonia” trademark and undo hers, sparking a fight that could leave her unable to use the very name the world knows her by. 

Prince’s estate has fired back via a statement since the suit was filed, dismissing it as “frivolous” and unwarranted.”

“We never instructed her to cease using her adopted professional name, nor did we object to her business activities,” the estate said, per People, adding that it has “repeatedly offered her opportunities to perform at Paisley Park using this professional name.” 

Kotero’s suit also claims that the issue between her and Prince’s estate is a “real, immediate, and justiciable controversy.” 

As the one who physically embodied the character and has kept her alive through the years, she is seeking “a judicial declaration” or decision in her favor of ownership over the trademark.