I guess everyone is getting laid off because of the economy.

Eddie Doyle, the famed Boston bartender who worked for 35 years at the bar that inspired the TV show Cheers, has been laid off. The bar used to be called The Bull & Finch but was changed to Cheers after the NBC show went off the air in 1993.

I wonder, exactly, why he was laid off. Sure, it's a bad economy, but Doyle was a big draw for the place, very well-liked, and they're going to keep paying him until the end of the year anyway. Reading the comments at the link above, it looks like a lot of patrons won't be going back to the place. The bar is going to have a party for him in April.

Doyle was involved in many charities over the years. He says he's now going to work on his house and maybe even write a book about his experience at the bar.

We swear we had nothing to do with this, though the timing is perfect for our Cheers Week.

CBS Studios is suing a bar in Rockford, Illinois for using the Cheers name. TMZ has the documents. The court papers say that the bar is not only using the same name as the famous Boston bar from the TV show (which has spawned several other bars and many collectibles), they're also using a similar logo. They're accusing the bar of trademark infringement, false designation of origin, and unfair competition. The name of the bar in question is Cheers of Rockford (here's their web site).

The court documents are really interesting (if long). They really get into the history of the show, what has happened to the show since it ended in 1993, and what trademarks CBS owns. You can also see a comparison of the original Cheers logo and the one used by the Rockford bar.