Prince did legally acquire all of the publishing rights to the songs he recorded for Warner Brothers (1979-1996) in the Spring 2014. Since His death (April 2016), because he chose not leave a will or a trust, his ‘Estate’ had to be handled by the State of Minnesota, and the rights to his much of his catalog were recently acquired by Universal Music Group.
Prince Acquires His Warner Brothers Recordings:
https://bit.ly/2yjrQzr