John Summit Apologizes for Off The Grid Tweets: "I Acted out of Emotion"

After accusing Off The Grid Campout of suing him, John Summit has issued a public apology.

John Summit whipped the Twitterverse into a frenzy last week after accusing Off The Grid Campout‘s organizers of suing him for trademark infringement. The Chicago tech house artist has now walked his remarks back in a statement, sharing plans to rebrand his label.

According to John Summit (real name John Schuster), his public apology followed a private one. “About the label name, I acted out of emotion and truly apologize for all the drama I stirred up in taking it to social media,” he tweeted. “I’ve been talking w the OTG Campout team and apologized to them directly but i also wanted to do so publicly.”

“They’ve agreed to stop pursuing legal action, and my team and I are working on a rebrand,” his statement continued. “In the meantime, to all my fans, please stop sending negative messages to OTG Campout. I was wrong in condoning that behavior in any way.”

about the label name, i acted out of emotion and truly apologize for all the drama i stirred up in taking it to social media. i’ve been talking w the OTG campout team and apologized to them directly but i also wanted to do so publicly. they’ve agreed to stop pursuing legal action…
— John Summit (@johnsummit) July 25, 2023

In Tuesday, July 18 tweets that have since been deleted, Schuster said that he was “getting sued for trademark” on account of his Off The Grid label’s similarities to the Off The Grid Campout brand. The latter has used the name since 2015, and given that Schuster’s label also organizes events, the two sharing it could arguably create confusion. In early 2022, Off The Grid Campout Producer Michael Cromie Jr. filed for trademark rights in order to protect his business.

Cromie confirmed to EDM Identity that Schuster “reached out with a genuine apology” but declined to go into any further detail. The John Summit team has not responded to EDM Identity’s request for comment at the time of writing.

Off The Grid Campout has built a reputation for living up to its name by emphasizing talent over major billings. Some the most recognizable names on the gathering’s 2023 lineup are Ardalan, DJ Heather, J.Phlip, and Mary Droppinz, although its undercard includes dozens of billings like BadKat, Keef Koded, Darwin Flores, and Skander.

Off The Grid Campout takes place October 20-22 at Sirius Ranch in Apple Valley, California. Tickets are available via Eventbrite.