The fundamental difference in the nature of academia and private industry creates many conflicts.
Academic research is concerned with basic research and public dissemination of all knowledge.
Private industry is driven by the need to maintain a positive bottom line. To do so a company must be competitive within its field, taking every advantage it can to stay ahead of the competition. One of the ways is to keep its intellectual property from others. Thus, while academia encourages free exchange of ideas, the private sector aims to restrict public dissemination of their findings. These basic philosophies often clash when faculty members interact with the private sector.