On Thursday, the Associated Press reported that “Scrabulous is back on Facebook.” Cue the victory music of the underdogs!
The virtual word game application, developed for Facebook’s famously open platform, has reemerged with a new name, a new look, and new game rules. The second debut comes just two days after it was blocked by the Calcutta-based creators.
As the AP points out, maybe the pretty little round letter tiles will help create a distinct identity for the lexicon brain teaser thousands of Facebookers have come to know and love. If the aesthetic changes don’t help then surely the name change will- say goodbye to fabulous Scrabulous and hello to Wordscraper. Sounds a bit like an English major’s instrument of torture, but at least it will sidestep most “brand confusion with Scrabble,” one of the main complaints in the lawsuit.
Lawsuit? Oh yes, how could I forget? Call it petty, call it selfish, or just call it taking the necessary precautions against copyright infringement (that’s a mouthful), but toy manufacturer Hasbro filed suit against Rajat and Jayant Agarwalla in New York’s U.S. Disctict Court. Why? Because apparently, Scrabulous resembled Hasbro’s Scrabble game a little too closely for comfort.
Other minor changes were made to the point system (new quadruple letter score! Eat your heart out, Merriam Webster) and other game regulations.
The AP quoted Ethan Horwitz, an intellectual-property lawyer from New York. He commented on the Agarwalla brother’s recent business decisions and whether or not they’ll help avoid another legal mess: “What they& 39;ve done is taking a step in the right direction,” he said, “but I don& 39;t think it& 39;s a big enough step.”
In the mean time, Hasbro and EA Games released an “official” Scrabble application for Facebook with pitiful results. Personally I find it humorously endearing that the program has received so much distain from loyal Scrabulousers... Scrabulousists... players of Scrabulous. Not only have they refused to convert, they’ve blasphemed the Scrabble name on the Scrabulous profile wall.
Also in the mean time, you can sign up for Wordscraper on Facebook and start spelling to your cyber heart’s content. One fan left a link to a template you can download so that your Wordscraper board will resemble the old Scrabulous layout. See what I mean? Loyal Scrabulousoids... you get the idea.
In the mood for a heartfelt tale of rebellion, support, and for-the-moment success? Check out Scrabulous’ Facebook wall with nearly 11,000 comments (and more being left by the minute!). In the mood for some serious smack-talking? Check out Scrabble’s Facebook wall. Good thing Hasbro has billions of dollars to keep it warm at night. It certainly doesn’t seem to have much support from this social networking website’s members.
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