Apollonia Settles Prince Lawsuit, Ends Trademark Battle

0:00It's April 9th. Music news today starts now. AI powered and ready to play. I'm Cory with the story. Apollonia just settled her lawsuit with Prince's estate over the stage name he gave her back in the Purple Rain days. The deal's confidential, but they filed a joint dismissal on Wednesday, with each side covering their own legal costs. It's a clean end to what could have been a messy fight. She filed the suit last August, claiming the estate was trying to snatch the Apollonia name and mark she'd used for years. Prince never trademarked himself before his death from a fentanyl overdose in April 2016 at age 57. The estate grabbed control last June and challenged her registrations at the trademark office. Apollonia, whose real name is Patricia Cotero, blew up playing Prince's love interest in the 1984 film. She toured worldwide, dropped tracks like sex shooter, and hit TV shows like Falcon Crest, all under that name. She argued losing it would record identity and career, saying Prince himself pushed her

1:01to keep using it right up to early 2016. The estate fired back that they were just safeguarding Prince's legacy and assets, with no plans to sue her personally. They even offered her gigs at Paisley Park, and tried settling privately before things hit court. This wrap-up came two days ahead of a key hearing on their dismissal motion. Both sides sound relieved, ready to move forward honoring Prince's genius without the drama