For those that have been following us since we started, you know that we were the first to associate the name OFFGRID with SURVIVAL. In fact, we have been using this name since 2007, and have had millions of people hit our website, hundreds of thousands of people following us on Social Media, and have worked tirelessly to help people become better prepared for the very real dangers that are out there.
In the process of growing my site, I have encountered a number of people and businesses who have attempted to steal my articles, use my name for their own financial benefit, and even use my name to fraudulently push their crappy products, but never have I seen such a blatant example of abuse and theft as I’ve encountered fighting the bastards at OFFGRID Magazine (Recoil – TEN).
I became aware of a large Corporate Magazine Conglomerate, run by anti-gun liberals, who puts out a number of niche magazines, all pretending to be part of those communities. Unfortunately, this company thinks that it’s not only alright to pretend they are a part of those communities — to market their juvenile articles and products — but they also think it’s alright to outright steal our name and deceive their readers into thinking their so-called OFFGRID Survival Magazine has something to do with my website.
TEN: The Enthusiast Network, the large corporate magazine conglomerate who runs fake magazines like RECOIL Magazine, a magazine that pretends to be part of the gun community despite trashing the second amendment on numerous occasions, decided to use our name OFFGRID to put out a crappy survival magazine.
OFFGRID Magazine: A Scam on their Readers
OFFGRID Magazine is not our magazine; it is a magazine put out by California liberals without actual experience attempting to deceive you into thinking they are something they are not; it is a magazine run by people that have no real experience with survival or preparedness. Just like their phony gun magazine, this magazine is a scam!
In their introductory issues, this company even went so far as to use a person with a gas mask (something that we have been using as part of our logo since the very beginning) next to the OFFGRID logo, to in my opinion, deceive the readers into thinking that the magazine was associated with my site. In fact, over the last year, hundreds of people at industry trade shows have told me they believed that the magazine was put out by my site. Many even subscribed to the magazine saying that they subscribed believing it was associated with my site.
Hmmm… I wonder where the scam artists at RECOIL (TEN: The Enthusiast Network) got the idea to use the name OFFGRID and a guy in a gasmask from…
LEGAL BATTLE
Currently, we are in a legal battle with this company, who is attempting to use their high-powered liberal lawyers to muscle us out of business. They have actually trademarked the word “OFFGRID”, pretending that they came up with the term. Now, I am attempting to simply secure my OFFGRID Survival trademark, (something that is legally mine, since I have been using the name and logo in commerce since 2007, giving me common law trademark rights). TEN Enthusiast Networks is fraudulently deceiving its readers, trademarking the word “offgrid”, and attempting to steal my brand.
The company is arguing that they had no idea who I was – which if true still doesn’t give them the right to use my trademark – but there is no way that’s possible since a simple Google search of the Name OFFGRID or the Term Survival would have shown us in the top 1-3 positions for at least the last 5 years. In an attempt to get around the fact that they are using my Trademark, recent versions of the magazine have started using RECOIL as part of the name — RECOIL OFFGRID. This was their attempt to get around the trademark laws, and still use the goodwill that I have generated to sell their shitty magazine run by a bunch of California liberals that don’t know the first thing about off grid living or survival. This was their attempt to silence us, but I’m not going to ignore what they are doing, and I’m not going to let their lawyers bully us into submission! They’ve actually threatened us for even talking about this!
This company and companies like it attempt to take the hard work of others to sell their bogus products. These people are not the people their readers think they are. In fact, RECOIL, the so-called parent magazine of the fraudulent rip-off OFFGRID Magazine, has on numerous occasions shown their outright disdain for the second amendment, despite pretending to be a gun magazine.
Recoil Magazine and Off Grid Magazine Do Not Support Second Amendment
Back in 2012, their editor Jerry Tsai got into trouble with the gun community after writing about how certain firearms should never be sold to civilians because certain types of guns had no “sporting application”. I guess this guy doesn’t realize the second amendment wasn’t written to protect “sporting applications.” JACKASS!
But that’s really just the tip of the iceberg. Want to see how much this corporation actually supports gun owners? Check out their corporate website.
The TEN Enthusiast Network has no problem taking your hard earned money, but go to their corporate website and see if you can find their so-called “gun magazine” listed in their brand’s list. They do everything they can to hide the fact that this magazine exists because they are trying to avoid protests from the left-wing readers who make up 99% of their other magazine’s readership. The last thing they want is to lose advertising dollars in their other magazines, but they realized they could make a lot of money selling gun magazines, so they do it on the down-low.
Listen, this really isn’t a shocker. The company is run by people who all come from very liberal anti-gun backgrounds, people who come from anti-gun companies like Disney, Universal Studios, and NBC. And as for the people who write for these magazines, I’ve met many of these people at industry events over the years; most of them are complete frauds. They write about guns, survival, self-defense, and preparedness but none of them have an actual clue what they are talking about.
They are writers, most of who come from very liberal news backgrounds, which are attempting to make you think they are part of your community. Many actually hate the people they are writing for; it’s a job for them, and just like many of the frauds in survival T.V. these people are just playing a part.
They gather their information from press releases and industry trade shows, but none of them actually live the lifestyle. In fact, many of these people have never fired a gun, never had any actual survival experience or preparedness training, but every month they write articles pretending to be experts – they are not! They are bullshit artists. People pushing the latest zombie craze crap or the latest trend to sell their shitty magazines. RECOIL OFFGRID Magazine by TEN: The Enthusiast Network should be ashamed of themselves for perpetuating this fraud on their readers.
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Wow, dude that really is messed up. I’m sorry to say that I am one of your readers who was tricked into buying that magazine because I thought you guys put it out.
I thought something was weird when I read it because the content was honestly the worst crap I have ever read. Stuff targeted towards the idiot crowd who can’t read more than a paragraph. Glad to see you guys didn’t sell out with that garbage magazine but pissed that those douchebags at Recoil are doing this to you. It does make sense now to learn it’s the same company that puts out that recoil crap. Same stupid ass jr. high style writing.
Thanks, Joe,
I’ve received hundreds of similar emails from people over the last year. It’s pretty frustrating that I have to bother with this, but good to know we have so many great readers like yourself.
Thank you for what you do! Your readers know that you actually care unlike the fakes out there just looking to make a buck off this trend. I have been a fan since the beginning, and I know you were doing this long before it was cool to be a prepper.
Companies lite Recoil/TEN are what’s wrong with this country. Not only that they are thieves, but how they dumb everything down to sell their dribble to the lowest common denominator.
Without even reading your experience with the writers, I had them pegged as wannabees the first time I read both Offgrid and Recoil magazine. It’s written by people trying way to hard to “Be one of us.” It’s like a bad Saturday Night Live skit of what they think gun owners talk like.
Thanks C L!!
Hey I met you out at SHOT Show last weekend, we talked in the media room on Thursday about people stealing articles, etc..
I actually seen these guys out at media day and you’re right about them not being real gun guys. I was standing next to the recoil crew and promptly got far, far away after seeing how these so-called gun guys actually handled firearms. Those kind of people scare the hell out of me.
Yep, good talk! I’ll keep your secret identity a secret, lol!! Thanks for stopping by and shoot me an email, can’t wait to do some video stuff with you.
I’ve done a little research and I hope people that subscribe to those magazines realize who is actually running them. First, TEN Enthusiast Network is based out of anti-gun southern California. The executives, which the article eludes to, all come from top Hollywood antigun corporations.
This company used to go by Source Interlink Media, until some online bloggers started pointing out that their executives were giving buckets full of money to antigun politicians, all while running gun magazines. But look at those magazine. Maxim style crap attempting to dupe new gun owners.
Canceling my Recoil subscription ASAP. Was sick of all the crap they think is gun lifestyle anyways. Whole damn magazine seems marketed at the basement dwelling video gamers who get their shooting experience from the latest video game.
I feel your frustration at these frauds. I hope you take them to the cleaners in your lawsuit. In the meantime, look on the bright side (if there is one). All the people who have been duped by these frauds will be weeded out when the sh*t realy does hit the fan. Here is an idea. The next time we go to the store and see one of these mag’s, take a moment and turn them all around to face the other direction. In a sporting goods store, we could let management know they are fraudulant, and anti 2nd amendment. Most of the sporting goods stores I know of are eager to hear customer comments.
Thanks Al!
I’m a huge fan of your site, and I was one of the readers who thought that the “OffGrid” magazine had been published by your brand name. It doesn’t take much reading to discover otherwise, as the gear they review is out of reach (financially speaking) of most Preppers. Just like Recoil Magazine, where the firearms they review are beyond the scope of probably most of their subscribers. I wish you the best of luck, and thanks for letting me know about their failure to support Second Amendment Rights. I will no longer subscribe for their attack on your trademark and the 2nd.
Yeah one look thought both of the magazines tells you what they really are…
Thanks for your support!
Hang in there and keep up the good fight. I’ll pass the word to those I know not to support the magazine or it’s parent company.
Thanks
I’m looking at the cover, those article titles would appeal to Cosmo or FHM readers. LOL
The bad advice will help no one when “SHTF”.
Yep, but not surprising when you see who runs these things. Read an interview with the CEO and that’s exactly who they are appealing to — no actual interest in helping people just trying to sell a slick Maxim style magazine.
I watch and read these rags before I buy them. I agree with the other quotes they don’t know shot about survival situations and how to live it.
It is amazing the amount of crap that is out there.
I seen the magazine a couple weeks back and Barnes and Noble. I thought Damn OGS has gone big time! Then I read the article and realized instantly that it wasn’t you guys.
Wow that magazine sucked. I feel sorry for anyone who reads that crap and thinks the advice is going to do anything for them when the SHTF. What a load of crap. Juvenile doesn’t even attempt to describe the 3rd grade video game mentality of the writers.
Fuck those guys!!! a friend informed me of your site and i have got on daily to read articles since keep up your great work!!!
Thanks man!!! I really do appreciate every single one of you who comes here and reads my articles.
Wow this is terrible :(.
Theft in this industry is really rampant, especially when it comes to article scraping, but this is a whole other level of f*cked up.
I noticed a few months ago that someone was trying to steal your cred for their own when I searched for your blog’s name and this guy’s blog popped up as second – off-grid-survival.com (didn’t want to direct link cause I don’t want to give him any more attention since it’s not at all deserved). I was sure you already knew about it, and so didn’t say anything, but yeah this – just plain mad.
I’m so glad it appears you’ve frightened them off enough that they’ve changed their title to “RECOIL”. Still absolutely horrifying that people mistake their magazine for something you produced, but I mean it looks like you’re making some headway, so at least that’s *some* good news (at least in my eyes).
Anything we can do to help let us know. Will tweet this to our readers right now actually and will get Thomas to share this on Survival Pulse tonight for some added exposure.
Really terrible that this is happening to you, and will definitely help spread the word that they’ve nothing to do with you.
Thank you for your support, and I am aware of the other guy that you mentioned – trying to track down who he is and where the site is registered. A lot of these guys use overseas servers and hide who they are so it’s hard to get them shut down.
Had a guy who used a server in Russia who cloned the entire site a couple months back.
It is pretty frustrating how much content theft is out there, the article scrappers and the people who outright try to copy your site is pretty damn low in my book.
Yeah, someone actually cloned our website, too. Noticed recently while doing a Google search. Seems to have copied and pasted the html for nearly every page.. pretty creepy.
Btw – Thomas tracked the off-grid-survival guy down (has a background in that sort of thing). I’ll get him to email you with his info.
Thank you!!! Just Shot Thomas an email, you guys are great and you have some great sites. Definitely a great addition to the community!
This is complete bullshit, I don’t buy it for a second that they hadn’t heard of you before- but if its true, doesn’t that say more about how much they care about the survival community?
Parasites, all of them.
A lot of people out there lately trying to make money in this niche; sadly, like you point out many don’t actually care about the community or the people who are reading what they are writing.
“It is a sad fact that in our time
greatness, while often imitated, is seldom emulated.”
I appreciate all the comments, and all the support from the readers who have come to the site over the years. I really do appreciate it, and thank you all for your continued support!!!
Contact the INSTITUTE for JUSTICE. They may help you.
If it’s good somebody will steal it.
Good luck. Your fight is our fight. David vs Goliath.
I bought one issue of “recoil” at a newsstand once not bothering to flip through it. When I sat down at the cabin up north I thumbed through it, started to read a few articles then threw it in the fireplace. I should have known better, but I’ll buy anything that looks interesting to read while going up to the cabin because I don’t want to be connected whether internet or phone, I want to relax without electronics.
That is absolute BS. I don’t buy magazines and most definitely will not buy any of their magazines at all in the future. I will stay true to this site. Keep up the good work. You have my support.
Thank you Patrick!