[RHSeeger]

Protected from competition, no. Protected from unfair competition, yes. There are a limited supply of taxi medallions in NYC (~13,000?), the number of which is controlled by the government, and getting one (last I saw) will cost you upwards of a million dollars.

Uber is basically coming in, running a taxi business, and refusing to pay for the government mandated barrier to entry. I'm not expressing an opinion on the system as a whole, but I think it's hard to deny that taxi folks (from the drivers up to the people that own the medallions) have a valid reason to complain.

[netfire]

You make a valid point given the current system, but the government mandated system of limited medallions seems like an unnecessary barrier to entry and prevents small (and perhaps more innovative) companies from competing in the market. (which seems unfair). What benefit, if any, do the consumers get from limiting the number of medallions?