Settlement reached between local winery, Prince’s estate in ‘Purple Rain’ dispute

(WKBN) — A settlement agreement has been reached in a trademark dispute between a local winery and the late singer Prince’s estate.

NPG Records, LLC and Paisley Park Enterprises, LLC had asked the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board to revoke L’uva Bella’s trademark for “Purple Rain,” which it uses for one of its wines — a concord, Niagara and tri-blend.

“Purple Rain” is also the name of Prince’s sixth album and the soundtrack to the 1984 film of the same name.

The winery in Lowellville received the trademark in 2019 for its grape wine and has been using the name “Purple Rain” for it since 2015, according to the filings.

The trademark dispute has been ongoing since 2021 . Prince’s estate had argued that the winery’s use of the name popularly used by Prince gave the impression that they were connected to the late artist, while attorneys for L’uva Bella argued that Prince’s known disdain for alcohol would never give that impression.

According to records, the dispute ended last month after the parties reached a confidential settlement agreement. The details of that settlement were not revealed.

The petition was withdrawn without prejudice, meaning it could be refiled later.

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