Patricia Apollonia Kotero, whose Prince estate trademark suit has been settled. Photo Credit: Glenn Francis
One long-running trademark dispute later, Apollonia and the Prince estate have put their legal battle to rest – albeit without prejudice.
Prince’s Paisley Park Enterprises and the Purple Rain co-star Apollonia (birth name Patricia Kotero) voluntarily moved to dismiss their case yesterday, days ahead of a previously scheduled hearing.
And while that case only kicked off in August 2025, the underlying trademark disagreements date back years. Shortly after the lawsuit was filed, we broke down the litigants’ history of dueling Apollonia trademark applications.
Then, the Prince estate this past September refuted Apollonia’s claims, indicating in more words that the individual could use the relevant name but not seek to register the trademarks in question. And in December, in-person settlement talks failed to immediately bring about the desired result.
(Unsurprisingly, a lot’s been occurring in the background amid the courtroom confrontation. Apollonia 6 is the girl group, fronted by the namesake Apollonia/Kotero, that appeared in 1984’s Purple Rain. Apollonia/Kotero hosts a podcast entitled Apollonia Studio 6, and a Purple Rain stage adaptation premiered this past November.)
Back to the resolution, both sides jointly agreed to dismiss the main suit without prejudice – meaning it can technically be refiled down the line.
The parties also agreed to withdraw competing trademark applications over the rights to the “Apollonia” name, with the Prince estate dropping its petition to cancel Apollonia’s existing IP protections as well.
A bit more on the latter: the Prince estate likewise nixed its distinct trademark-cancellation petition without prejudice; in theory, it too could be picked back up in the future. In any event, the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board promptly approved the request, and at least for now, the dispute seems to have been resolved.
Time will tell whether that resolution holds. Closer to the present, Apollonia doesn’t look to have addressed the settlement on social media.
The Prince estate, for its part, is preparing to host “A Day 2 Reflect” and “A Night 2 Remember” memorial events on the 10th anniversary of the artist’s passing.
Scheduled to take place at Paisley Park on April 21st, the events are expected to include a walkthrough tour, a “Prince in Concert” film screening, and more, according to the appropriate website.