Noc yourself out.
Shaken by a trademark clash between a rucking group and the developers of Nocatee, more than a dozen local Facebook groups have altered their names this month.
Administrators nixed Nocatee from their titles after Parc Group told NOC Rucks to change its name or face legal action.
In lieu of Nocatee, the pages are now using the area’s 32081 zip code to denote their locales.
Doreen Hughes, founder and administrator of the page formerly known as Pets of Nocatee, told The Citizen that she grew “concerned” after the NOC Rucks ruckus.
Stressing that her page does not generate revenue, Hughes said she previously received a Facebook message from Parc Group in 2022 telling her to Noc it off.
She said the developer’s lawyers eased off after she explained that her page consisted of cute cat pics, animal care tips and other benign subject matter.
But the high profile rucking row has now revived her jitters.
“I didn’t get a cease and desist order this time — but I was concerned one was coming,” she said. “So I proactively changed the page.”
The begrudging pivot, Hughes said, mars the group’s operation.
“With Pets 32081 it is not as evident that it is a Nocatee-based site and people aren’t going to respond as well.,” she said. “I’m a little disappointed. I think they’re being ridiculous.”
NOC Rucks co-founder Tom Simon has thus far resisted Parc Group’s demands.
Like Hughes, the retired FBI agent and private investigator argued that his group is not a profit-making enterprise and simply gathers locals for bi-weekly weighted walks.
In a prior statement to The Citizen on the NOC Rucks clash, Parc Group said it protects its trademarks to guard against unseemly affiliations.
Rather than parse each case individually, Parc Group said it objects to all uses across the board.
The developer did not comment this week.
The Ladies of Nocatee Facebook group preemptively changed its name this month despite not receiving a cease and desist letter, an administrator told The Citizen.
Russian Speaking Ladies of Nocatee, Freethinking Real Housemoms of Nocatee, and NOC Jeepers also extirpated the name from their titles, among many others.
One administrator of an active Nocatee real estate group said this week she has always used the area code in her title since launching the page several years ago.
“As a realtor and a former branding and marketing specialist, I was very aware of the issues it could raise when it comes to using the brand in a name,” she said.
