Patty Kotero, the actress who played Apollonia, Prince’s girlfriend in the film Purple Rain, is suing the star’s estate for a rather unusual reason.
+ Report suggests Hulk Hogan may have died due to a medical error
In the lawsuit against Paisley Park Enterprises, filed in California on Tuesday (19), she is claiming ownership of the name Apollonia, which she has used as her stage name since the 1984 film.
“For more than 40 years, Ms. Kotero has been known as ‘Apollonia.’ In fact, Prince himself consented to and encouraged Apollonia in her professional endeavors as ‘Apollonia,’” reads Kotero’s complaint, according to Entertainment Weekly.
In the filing, Kotero’s lawyers argue that she submitted a trademark application on October 3, 2016, as well as three additional trademark applications in the following years.
“All goodwill associated with the name and brand ‘Apollonia’ over the past four decades is attributable to the Plaintiff. Therefore, to protect her brand, Ms. Kotero holds several applications and registrations for the trademark ‘Apollonia.’”
Also according to EW, Dan Cislo, Kotero’s attorney, expressed confidence in the case. “Our client expects to prevail in protecting her name,” he said in a statement to the site.
Prince’s estate used the late singer’s Instagram account on Thursday (21) to publish a note calling Kotero’s lawsuit “frivolous” and “unjustified.”
“As she acknowledges, Apollonia is the name Prince gave to the character portrayed by Ms. Kotero in Prince’s film ‘Purple Rain’ more than forty years ago,” reads the note from Paisley Park.
“We have never instructed her to stop using her adopted professional name, nor have we opposed her business activities. In fact, we have repeatedly offered her opportunities to perform at Paisley Park under that professional name.”
The estate also claimed that Kotero’s lawsuit “fails to acknowledge the cancellation” of her Apollonia registration at the United States Patent and Trademark Office and stated that Paisley Park “sought a settlement” with Kotero on more than one occasion.
“We look forward to the decisions in the pending trademark registration proceedings and the dismissal of Ms. Kotero’s recent federal action. As is our duty, we will continue to protect and preserve Prince’s assets and legacy.”
The dispute arose after Purple Rain received a stage musical adaptation, with its premiere scheduled for October in Minneapolis, Minnesota, before moving to Broadway. In the play, Rachel Webb will portray Apollonia.
Photo and video: Creative Commons / Instagram @prince. This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team.
Ver essa foto no Instagram
