After multiple refusals from the creators of Scrabulous to remove the application from Facebook, it appears that a lawsuit was the most convincing method to force them make up their mind. Hasbro can now happily sit and watch how North American users no longer have access to the online game.

While Hasbro, who owns the rights for Scrabble in North America, has been trying for months to determine the Agarwalla brothers and Facebook the shut down Scrabulous, users have also been fighting by all means to get Scrabulous to stay.

When Hasbro filed a lawsuit this month for copyright infringement, it seemed like there was no other choice for the Indian developers of Scrabulous but to end their lucrative business on Facebook, which earned them an estimated $25,000 a month.

But apparently, there was a way: a new Scrabble-like game, which is not Scrabble… Sounds confusing? That’s because it is! Wordscraper resembles the basic board of Scrabble, but it uses circles instead of square letters, has a different pointing system, and has fewer chances to break copyrights, specialists say.

Wordscraper did well this week for a “beginner,” attracting thousands of players, probably ex-Scrabulous fans. However, there is still a long way to go before it will be able to achieve the success of Scrabulous (if it ever will).

While some players are grateful they haven’t lost their favorite online application, others are very disappointed by Hasbro’s legal move, claiming that the toy maker should be grateful to the Facebook app for making players also go buy the actual game.

“Hasbro has an obligation to act appropriately against infringement of our intellectual properties,” Hasbro said in a statement. “We view the Scrabulous application as clear and blatant infringement of our Scrabble intellectual property.”

Ever since appearing on Facebook, in May 2007, Scrabulous has attracted millions of users, with 500,000 devoted users playing every day.

But what now, that Scrabulous is gone? Will Wordscraper take its place? Or maybe the legal Scrabble online application from Hasbro and EA will win the battle?

If we look at the users’ reaction, Scrabble for Facebook brought by Hasbro/EA is far from being an accepted alternative. The best proof for that was the attack that took the official game down, the same day Scrabulous was taken off Facebook. Unbelievable coincidence or the work of some angry Scrabulous fans, it’s hard to say.

So far, Facebook users seem pretty determined to prove Hasbro that they made the wrong decision about Scrabulous. Some users promised to never touch Scrabble by Hasbro/EA, while others promised they will boycott the application.

Earlier this year, when Hasbro first made its claims against Scrabulous public, thousands of fans created an online movement, “Save Scrabulous,” meant to determine the toy maker drop its demands for the online game to be pulled out.

However, Hasbro doesn’t seem to be willing to give up their rights in North America over Srabble, and neither is Mattel, who owns the intellectual rights in the rest of the world, including India, and is apparently also suing the Indian developers.