MINNEAPOLIS — Be careful if Prince bestowed a stage name on you because his estate might claim that it owns the rights — even some 40 years later.

That is the crux of a lawsuit filed Tuesday by Patty A. Kotero, better known as Apollonia, co-star of Prince’s 1984 movie “Purple Rain.”

In her lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, Kotero, of Beverly Hills, argues she received trademarks for Apollonia 6, her trio produced by Prince, and Apollonia in 2016 and 2018, respectively. She has recorded and performed under the name Apollonia since 1983, when Prince hired her to replace Vanity as his love interest in the movie “Purple Rain.”

In June 2025, Paisley Park Enterprises LLC asked the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to cancel Kotero’s Apollonia trademarks, alleging it owned the rights to the name based on contracts she signed in 1983 and 1984.

“For all of these years neither Prince himself nor anyone on Prince’s behalf demanded that Apollonia cease using the name Apollonia or contended that the name did not belong to her,” her lawsuit said.

Apollonia left Prince’s organization in 1985 and landed a role on TV’s “Falcon Crest,” recorded a solo album in 1988, and acted in movies including “Black Magic Woman.”

Prince died in 2016.

Since 2022, Apollonia has served as host on the podcast, “Apollonia Studio 6″ and sells Apollonia souvenirs at her own website.

Kotero’s lawsuit contends the Prince estate wants to use the trademarked name for clothing and entertainment services.

Phone calls to Kotero and her attorney, Daniel Cislo, were not returned. Entertainment impresario Londell McMillan, a lawyer and principal of Prince Legacy LLC, which comanages Prince’s estate, could not be reached for comment.

The lawsuit doesn’t mention the new “Purple Rain” musical, set to open in October in Minneapolis, with Rachel Webb cast as a character named Apollonia.

Since 2022, Prince’s estate has been run by Prince Legacy LLC and Primary Wave, a music management company.

A similar situation happened with Morris Day in 2022 as the Prince estate challenged his right to use the moniker the Time, which Prince had created. The estate pushed back on him promoting his concerts as Morris Day & the Time, a billing he’d used since 1995. A settlement was reached and Day continues to perform under that name.

©2025 The Minnesota Star Tribune. Visit startribune.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC