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| Version 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| Scrabulous suspended on Facebook | Scrabulous suspended on Facebook |
| (20 minutes later) | |
| The developers of the popular Facebook application Scrabulous have suspended the game for some users following legal action by toy maker Hasbro. | The developers of the popular Facebook application Scrabulous have suspended the game for some users following legal action by toy maker Hasbro. |
| The application has been disabled for users in the US and Canada. | The application has been disabled for users in the US and Canada. |
| Hasbro, the makers of Scrabble, are suing the Calcutta-based founders of Scrabulous, claiming they are infringing its copyright and trademark. | Hasbro, the makers of Scrabble, are suing the Calcutta-based founders of Scrabulous, claiming they are infringing its copyright and trademark. |
| Hasbro had asked Facebook to block access following the launch of its own official version of Scrabble. | Hasbro had asked Facebook to block access following the launch of its own official version of Scrabble. |
| A spokeswoman for Facebook told the BBC that the final decision to suspend the game was made by the developers, not the site itself. | |
| Defence campaign | Defence campaign |
| Scrabulous has been one of the most popular applications on Facebook, regularly racking up more than 500,000 users each day. | Scrabulous has been one of the most popular applications on Facebook, regularly racking up more than 500,000 users each day. |
| Fans have mounted a vigorous defence campaign since the joint owners of Scrabble, Mattel and Hasbro, announced their intention to sue the Facebook developers back in January. | Fans have mounted a vigorous defence campaign since the joint owners of Scrabble, Mattel and Hasbro, announced their intention to sue the Facebook developers back in January. |
| In a statement, Facebook said that "games are an important part of the social experience on Facebook" and they hope that the dispute will not discourage other developers from testing new ideas. | |
| "We're disappointed that Hasbro has sought to draw us into their dispute," it said. "Nevertheless, we have forwarded their concerns to Scrabulous and requested their appropriate response." | |