Apollonia has claimed that Prince was “adamant” that she continued using her name and trademarks, amid an ongoing legal battle with his estate.
Patricia Apollonia Kotero rose to fame in 1984 when Prince chose her to star as his love interest in the semi-autobiographical film Purple Rain. She went on front the group Apollonia 6, and has used the name Apollonia in her singing and acting career for more than four decades.
In June last year, Paisley Park Enterprises (PPE), the estate overseeing Prince’s business interests since his death in 2016, filed an “intent-to-use” trademark application for Apollonia and sought to cancel Kotero’s registrations for the name. Two months later, Kotero filed a suit against PPE, accusing them of trying to “steal” her name.
Since then, PPE have disputed her claims and moved to dismiss the lawsuit, claiming that their trademark application was necessary step to protect its rights, not a personal attack.
Now, in a declaration filed in federal court on Friday (January 16), Apollonia has responded to the estate’s motion to dismiss by claiming that she received face-to-face reassurance from Prince two months before his death (via Rolling Stone).
She claims that Prince met with her and her fellow Apollonia 6 member Susan Moonsie after a concert in Oakland, California in February 2016.
“During our conversations that evening, Prince was adamant that we continue with our ventures such as musical performances, merchandising, and audiovisual projects, and that he wanted us both to use our Apollonia and Apollonia 6 trademarks in order to be able to earn a living, stay creative, and be financially secure in our later years,” Apollonia has said.
Part of her claim is that Prince never trademarked the Apollonia name while he was alive, so the estate was out of line when it moved to assume control of it last June. Kotero is now asking the court to reject PPE’s request that her lawsuit be dismissed.
“The truth is none of this litigation would have occurred if Prince were still alive,” Apollonia’s declaration continued. “He would be appalled by the unbecoming conduct of PPE and the efforts by PPE to usurp his wishes. I do not trust PPE, and I am afraid that if PPE is able to accomplish its goal of taking the Apollonia Marks from me, my identity will be lost, my rights will be diminished, my business will be interrupted, and I will be unable to use the Apollonia marks without repercussion from PPE.”
A hearing on the estate’s motion to dismiss is scheduled for February 13. In their motion, they wrote: “Defendant has never threatened to sue plaintiff, never asked her to cease using her adopted stage name, nor ever asked her to cease any of her business activities.”
Apollonia toured to promote Purple Rain in 1984 and Apollonia 6 had a hit later that year with ‘Sex Shooter’, written and produced by Prince. The group also recorded a version of ‘Manic Monday’ in the same year, but it was pulled before release and The Bangles had the hit version two years later. Apollonia went on to star in Falcon Crest on television and released a solo album in 1988.
Prince died from an accidental fentanyl overdose in April 2016, leaving behind no children and no will, leading to a contracted legal battle over his extensive assets.
