OFFICE workers could be left searching for a new way to waste time after one of the world's most popular online games was threatened with legal action.
Facebook is being pressured to shut down the popular Scrabulous application by the makers of the Scrabble board game, Hasbro, Fortune reported.
Scrabulous, an unofficial web-based version of the board game, was started by Indian brothers and Scrabble devotees Rajat and Jayant Agarwalla in 2006.
The game exploded in popularity after it was made available on social networking website Facebook, where more than two million people play it against their friends.
The digital rights to Hasbro's range of board games were licensed to Electronic Arts last year, but online versions of titles like Scrabble, Monopoly and Yahtzee have yet to appear.
With no official version of Scrabble available to play online, the move to shut down Scrabulous – which has renewed interest in the board game for a generation more familiar with electronic entertainment – could be seen as counter-productive.
Sydney university student Ben, aged 20, said discovering Scrabulous on Facebook inspired him to return to the physical version.
"I’ve always had the board game, but after playing Scrabulous online it reminded me that we had it, and so it’s come out of the cupboard a few times since," he said.
Office worker Nastasia, 32, who plays Scrabulous at home and at work, said she bought a travel edition of the board game to take on holidays.
"We went overseas with some friends so I bought a travel version of Scrabble as I'd forgotten how fun the game was until Facebook revived it," she said.
The online version does have some benefits over the board game, however.
"Unlike the real edition of Scrabble, you can make a word on the table and then come back in a week’s time for your next move," Ben said.
In 2005 Hasbro issued a cease-and-desist order to the makers of a similar unofficial online game called e-Scrabble. The domain http://www.e-scrabble.com now redirects to Hasbro's website.
The Scrabulous application is still available on Facebook despite the reported shut down request.
Hundreds of Facebook users have already joined the "Save Scrabulous!" group, which contains a link to the Hasbro website's customer feedback page.
Hasbro did not reply to NEWS.com.au's questions on Scrabulous and a possible launch date for an official online version of Scrabble.
