There are practical and public policy reasons for allowing temporary acts of reproduction, which are essential for the operation of technological processes. Article 5(5) of the Directive, however, makes clear that this exception should only be applied in certain "special cases" which do not conflict with the normal exploitation of the work or other subject-matter, and do not unreasonably prejudice the legitimate interests of the right holder. The application of the exemption is therefore not automatic and the competing interests of the right holder and user of the process need to be considered.