- Patty “Apollonia” Kotero is suing Prince’s estate over the trademark for her stage name.
- The Purple Rain actress claims her late costar’s estate is trying to cancel her applications for the name’s trademark.
- Prince’s estate called the lawsuit “frivolous” and “unwarranted.”
What’s in a name?
Patty “Apollonia” Kotero, who played Apollonia in Prince‘s 1984 film Purple Rain and continued performing under that character’s name for decades, is suing the late singer’s estate, Paisley Park Enterprises, over the ownership of her stage name.
The performer filed a complaint in a California district court on Tuesday requesting the cancellation of Paisley Park’s pending applications for the Apollonia name, and is also seeking an injunction to stop the estate from interfering in her use of her stage name.
Warner Bros/ Everett
“For more than forty (40) years Ms. Kotero – the actress, singer, songwriter, producer, and entertainer – has been known as ‘Apollonia,'” reads Kotero’s complaint, which has been reviewed by Entertainment Weekly. “In fact, Prince himself consented to and encouraged Apollonia in her professional endeavors as ‘Apollonia’.”
Dan Cislo, an attorney for Kotero, expressed his confidence in a brief statement to EW. “Our client fully expects to prevail in protecting her name,” he said.
EW has reached out to Paisley Park for comment.
Prince’s estate called Kotero’s lawsuit “frivolous” and “unwarranted” in a statement on the late singer’s Instagram on Thursday.
“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,” the statement said. “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.”
The estate also claimed that Kotero’s suit “fails to acknowledge the cancellation” of her Apollonia registration with the United States Patent & Trademark Office, and said that Paisley Park has “sought a settlement” with Kotero on more than one occasion.
“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.”
The dispute comes in the wake of Purple Rain receiving a stage musical adaptation, which is set to premiere in Minneapolis, Min., in October before making its way to Broadway. Rachel Webb (& Juliet) is set to play Apollonia in the show.
Warner Bros./Everett (2)
In the complaint, Kotero’s attorneys claim that she filed a trademark application on Oct. 3, 2016, as well as three additional trademark applications in subsequent years. “All of the goodwill associated with the name and trademark ‘Apollonia’ for the past four (4) decades is attributable to Plaintiff,” the document says. “Therefore, to protect her brand, Ms. Kotero owns several “Apollonia” trademark applications and registrations.”
The complaint also accuses Paisley Park 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.” Kotero’s attorneys argue that these allegations from Prince’s estate “threaten to disrupt not only Apollonia’s livelihood but also her identity, including interfering with Apollonia’s relationships with her industry partners.”
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Kotero began her screen career credited as Patty Kotero in small appearances on shows like CHiPs, Fantasy Island, and Knight Rider. After playing Apollonia in Purple Rain in 1984, she has always been credited as either Apollonia Kotero or just Apollonia in subsequent projects, including a 10-episode stint on Falcon Crest (in which her character was also named Apollonia). She also headlined Prince’s girl group Apollonia 6, and released a self-titled solo album in 1987.
“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,” the complaint alleges. “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.'”
Kotero recently launched a podcast, titled Apollonia Studio 6, in 2022. Jo Koy, Gabriel Iglesias, and Jill Jones have been among the show’s guests.
