Accidental libel of one of the world's largest football clubs (pearoasted)
For legal reasons (and also because I'm still a bit scared of them) I can't actually name any of the parties involved.

I used to work for a company which made one of the most popular cheat code devices for consoles. I worked as a cheat code developer there and one of my duties was to make stand alone cheat/update discs. It was my responsibilty to make the update disc for a new football game which was coming out. This involved correcting all the team names, player names, badges, etc. However, when I was making the badge for one of the teams, instead of their name on the badge (and just as a joke to share with my mate), I put 'Dirty Fucking Scum Cunts'. This imaged was then flattened to a low res bitmap and made unreadable. We had a good laugh about this.

The disc was finished and mastered in very large quantities and shipped across Europe and sold very well. Approximately 2 weeks later the Producer of the product asked me to come and look at something with him. Now apparently an 8 year old boy had got the disc and (being impressed with the job I had done) wanted to see how I had made the badges. So he went into the editor and looked at the badge and zoomed in on it. It soon became apparent that the writing was not quite as illegible as first thought. The boy wasn't sure what it said, but he knew it didn't say his team's name. His Dad had a better idea of what it said.

Angry Dad then took it back to the major High Street retailer where he bought it from. They took all of our products off the shelves (not just the one in question) and soon after, several others did the same. The press were informed and started phoning us asking for questions. The football club in question were informed and started phoning up threatening legal action. The product had to be recalled, re-mastered and re-issued at an initial estimated cost of a quarter of a million pounds. Later, FIFA got onto them and were rather upset, as were a large video games company, who make another popular football game and who happened to pay a lot of money for exclusive rights to team names etc.

They asked me to leave (insisted really). Fascists...
(The Louce, Fri 26 Oct 2007, 9:20, 9 replies)

Niiiiiiice.
But not really accidental, was it?
( Enzyme is powered by sunlight, Fri 26 Oct 2007, 9:23, closed)

But it was a big mistaka-to-maka
I think I remember this being reported.
( Colonel Dracula Two manky hookers and a racist dwarf, Fri 26 Oct 2007, 9:33, closed)

Meh
That's what you get for being proud of being the fishy end of the M27, ya Skate bastard...

Enzyme: Things don't have to be accidental to qualify as a mistake.
(misanthrope is so adjective he's verbing nouns!, Fri 26 Oct 2007, 9:51, closed)

...and as any defamation lawyer will tell you
'Dirty Fucking Scum Cunts' is abuse, not libel.

Go on, at least name the team.
( Scaryduck LIKES EGG, Fri 26 Oct 2007, 10:19, closed)

IIRC
It was a certain large team in Manchester...
( rubberduck should only be used after consulting with your GP, Fri 26 Oct 2007, 10:28, closed)

Misanthrope
Fair cop. Though - for pedantry's sake - it was the judgement that was mistaken, not the action; and it was the action that turned out to be expensive. But I am splitting hairs here.
( Enzyme is powered by sunlight, Fri 26 Oct 2007, 11:22, closed)

Who are you Enzyme?
The QOTW semantics police? Or just a general wanker?
(Leyxia, Fri 26 Oct 2007, 11:57, closed)

.
Yes Leyxia, I'm a general wanker 'cause I'm a pedant. Maybe you could help me on my way to being a thoroughly nice guy by teaching me how to rip off random strangers on eBay and then using the story to scavenge for kudos? Either that or you could, you know, lighten up or something.
(misanthrope is so adjective he's verbing nouns!, Fri 26 Oct 2007, 13:29, closed)

misanthrope
good come back
( flirting with badgers What? It sounded good at the time., Sat 27 Oct 2007, 20:08, closed)