BLACK MOUNTAIN SCHOOL CHANGES NAME TO SCHOOL OF THE ALTERNATIVE

We have been served a cease and desist by an institution owning a trademark similar to our name. After much careful deliberation, we have made the very tough decision to change our name in compliance with their request.

We will now move forward as School of the Alternative.

We had hoped to fight this fight with a less drastic name change, but have now been threatened with a lawsuit if we move forward with the name “Black Mountain” at all (We feel it’s worth mentioning that said institution is a well funded program, tied to a state university. Their primary affiliation with the original Black Mountain College is being a “predecessor-in-interest”, which means that they now hold the rights to the trademark once owned by BMC.). We are the small dog in this fight, and have considered with care the time, energy, and resources that it would take to fight a battle like this. This struggle is an embodiment of our anti-institutional position, but we have limited resource to fight this particular fight as a small, passion driven operation with limited funds. We have chosen to let go of our name, and to move forward focusing our energies on the school.

We are of course sad to lose our name, as it speaks so clearly to our source of inspiration. Beyond that sadness, though, is excitement for what’s to come, and we are eager to get back to work making our school better. We now move forward knowing that our spirits are better focused on the fight for alternative education, and that the energies of our small team of volunteers are in better use working to create a beautiful experience this May.

As a part of this, letter, we must ask that you no longer refer to our project as Black Mountain School, but rather as School of the Alternative.

Our very best, and with enthusiasm for the future,

The former Black Mountain School