Steady on a minute!. All the arguments above are obviously correct, but it shouldn't be personal until we know differently. It may well be that John himself isn't behind all this, indeed he may not even be aware of it. It's usually the team behind the business side that resorts to these tactics.
As I mentioned in my previous reply, my latest backpack last month was based on a little known route of his and I visited his website at the time. Interestingly, I've just looked at it again and, though I can't be certain, I could swear a bold paragraph has since been added to his
guides page stating:-
Please Note:
This is the only official and licensed website regarding the walks & works of John Merrill.