A joint venture is a relationship between two or more people who combine their labor or property for a single business undertaking. They share profits and losses equally, or as otherwise provided in the joint venture agreement. The single business undertaking aspect is a key to determining whether or not a business entity is a joint venture as opposed to a partnership.
A joint venture is very similar to a partnership. In fact, some States treat joint ventures the same as partnerships with regard to partnership statutes such as the Uniform Partnership Act. The main difference between a partnership and a joint venture is that a joint venture usually relates to the pursuit of a single transaction or enterprise even though this may require several years to accomplish. A partnership is generally a continuing or ongoing business or activity. While a partnership may be expressly created for a single transaction, this is very unusual. Most Courts hold that joint ventures are subject to the same principles of law as partnerships. The duties owed by joint venturers to each are the same as those that partners owe to each other.
