The Prince estate has reached a settlement with singer Apollonia, ending their dispute over who owns legal rights to the name made famous by the movie Purple Rain.
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After years of fighting, Prince’s estate and Apollonia (born Patty Kotero) both withdrew their dueling trademark cases against each other on Wednesday (April 8). Apollonia’s lawyer, Daniel Cislo, told Billboard that the matter has been confidentially settled.
“Apollonia is very happy with the results, and that the parties can continue to honor the legacy of Prince and his musical genius,” said Cislo. “In a time of so much conflict, it is very good to see people coming together to resolve their dispute.”
Lawyers for the Prince estate did not return a request for comment on the resolution.
The dispute dates back to 2018, two years after Prince’s sudden death by fentanyl overdose. The star’s estate filed paperwork to trademark “Apollonia 6,” the name of a Prince-founded girl group led by Apollonia, but were rejected because Apollonia herself already owned the intellectual property.
The Prince estate petitioned the U.S. trademark office to cancel Apollonia’s ownership, leading to years of legal proceedings between the two sides. Apollonia then moved the fighting to federal court last summer with a lawsuit accusing the estate of trying to “steal” her name.
Prince’s estate called the lawsuit “frivolous” and said its goal was to peacefully co-exist with Apollonia. A hearing on the estate’s motion to dismiss was coming up this Friday (April 10) in Los Angeles before the settlement was reached.
The estate has now dropped its trademark cancellation petition, which was one of the terms sought by Apollonia in her lawsuit. It’s not clear whether the settlement also includes any financial payments or further ground rules for the ownership of the Apollonia name going forward.
Apollonia rose to fame playing a character of the same name in Purple Rain. Her song from the 1984 movie, “Sex Shooter,” spent six weeks on the Billboard Hot 100. In the years since, Apollonia has used the moniker for music releases, acting credits and a podcast hosting gig.
Prince’s lucrative estate, meanwhile, is managed by the business entity Paisley Park Enterprises. The star died without a will, leading to years of probate court infighting before Paisley Park’s assets were split in 2022 between Prince’s heirs and another entity controlled by Primary Wave.
