I agree. Not saying they're a monopoly. The merger-blocking issue is the only reason I can think of for a joint venture being illegal. The difference is that

I agree. Not saying they're a monopoly. The merger-blocking issue is the only reason I can think of for a joint venture being illegal. The difference is that explicit collusion is ALWAYS illegal. Otherwise innocuous activities that may have an anticompetitive effect (e.g. forming a joint venture) are sometimes legal, depending on what the FTC thinks.