Apollonia sues Prince estate over trademark ownership of her name

Apollonia Kotero, the performer best known as Apollonia from the 1984 film Purple Rain, has filed a federal lawsuit alleging that Prince’s estate is attempting to seize control of her name and related trademarks more than four decades after she first used it professionally. The complaint contends that Paisley Park Enterprises LLC, one of the entities that has managed the late musician’s affairs, is proceeding with trademark actions to cancel Kotero’s registrations and to claim ownership of the Apollonia name in clear bad faith.

Kotero, who has used Apollonia as her stage name since the early 1980s, says the name has long identified her music, acting and other ventures, including a podcast and consumer merchandise. The lawsuit asserts that Prince himself encouraged and consented to her use of the name, and that there was no demand during his lifetime or after his death to stop using it. The filing argues that the estate’s position—reaching back to contracts from 1983 and 1984 to challenge the marks—rests on grounds that are legally meritless and time-barred, and that canceling her marks would threaten her livelihood and personal identity.

The estate’s action in June to revoke...