Legal Hold
Preserve critical backups during litigation, regulatory investigations, and compliance audits with prepaid, immutable protection that cannot be cancelled or released until expiration.
What is Legal Hold?
Legal Hold (also known as Litigation Hold) is a process that organizations use to preserve all forms of relevant information when litigation is reasonably anticipated. LOX Legal Hold provides immutable, prepaid protection that guarantees your backup cannot be deleted for the duration you select.
Immutability Policy
LOX Legal Hold follows a strict immutability policy to ensure data integrity for legal proceedings:
- Non-cancellable: Cannot be cancelled once activated
- Non-releasable: Cannot be released before expiration date
- Non-refundable: Payment is final and cannot be refunded
- Non-deletable: Protected backup cannot be deleted by anyone
Pricing & Durations
Prepaid Storage Model
Legal Hold requires a one-time upfront payment for the entire duration. This ensures your backup is protected regardless of subscription status.
Price Formula
⌈Backup Size (GB)⌉ × Duration (months) × $0.08/GB/month
Rounded up to nearest GB
1 year
12 months
2 years
24 months
3 years
36 months
5 years
60 months
7 years
84 months
10 years
120 months
Storage Quota Benefit
Backups under Legal Hold do not count against your subscription storage quota. Since the storage is prepaid separately, it frees up your subscription quota for other backups. When the Legal Hold expires and is released, the storage will count against your quota again.
Example Pricing
| Backup Size | 1 Year | 3 Years | 5 Years | 7 Years | 10 Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 GB | $0.60 | $1.80 | $3.00 | $4.20 | $6.00 |
| 10 GB | $6.00 | $18.00 | $30.00 | $42.00 | $60.00 |
| 100 GB | $60.00 | $180.00 | $300.00 | $420.00 | $600.00 |
| 1 TB | $614.40 | $1,843.20 | $3,072.00 | $4,300.80 | $6,144.00 |
When to Use Legal Hold
Litigation & Lawsuits
When your organization is involved in legal proceedings, you may be required to preserve all relevant data. Failure to do so can result in spoliation sanctions.
Internal Investigations
HR investigations, fraud investigations, or security incidents may require preserving data for internal review before determining next steps.
Regulatory Compliance
Regulatory bodies (SEC, GDPR authorities, HIPAA auditors) may require data preservation during audits or investigations. Choose duration based on retention requirements.
Long-term Archival
Critical business records, contracts, or historical data that must be preserved for extended periods with guaranteed immutability.
How Legal Hold Works
Select Backup & Duration
Choose the backup you want to protect and select a duration (1-10 years). The system calculates the total price based on backup size and duration.
Complete Payment
Pay the full amount upfront via Stripe. This is a one-time payment for the entire duration. Payment is non-refundable.
Legal Hold Activated
The backup is immediately protected. It cannot be deleted, and the Legal Hold cannot be cancelled or modified. Storage is removed from your subscription quota.
Wait for Expiration
The Legal Hold remains active until the expiration date. You can view the status and remaining time, but cannot modify or release it early.
Release After Expiration
Once expired, you can release the Legal Hold. The backup storage will then count against your subscription quota again, and normal retention policies will apply.
Key Features
True Immutability
Cannot be cancelled, modified, or released until expiration
Prepaid Protection
One-time payment guarantees protection regardless of subscription
Quota Free
Legal Hold storage does not count against subscription quota
Full Audit Trail
Every action logged with user, time, reason, and payment
Flexible Durations
Choose from 1 to 10 years based on your requirements
Chain of Custody
Complete custody log for legal proceedings
API Reference
Legal Hold can be managed programmatically through our REST API.
Get Configuration
GET /api/v1/legal-hold/config
Authorization: Bearer {api_key}
Response:
{
"price_per_gb_month": 0.08,
"available_durations": [12, 24, 36, 60, 84, 120],
"min_duration_months": 12,
"max_duration_months": 120
}Get Price Quote
POST /api/v1/legal-hold/quote
Content-Type: application/json
Authorization: Bearer {api_key}
{
"backup_uuid": "550e8400-e29b-41d4-a716-446655440000",
"duration_months": 36
}
Response:
{
"backup_uuid": "550e8400-e29b-41d4-a716-446655440000",
"backup_name": "production-db-2024-01-15",
"size_bytes": 10737418240,
"size_gb": 10,
"duration_months": 36,
"duration_years": 3,
"price_per_gb_month": 0.08,
"total_price": 28.80,
"expires_at": "2028-12-26T00:00:00Z"
}Create Payment Intent
POST /api/v1/legal-hold/payment-intent
Content-Type: application/json
Authorization: Bearer {api_key}
{
"backup_uuid": "550e8400-e29b-41d4-a716-446655440000",
"duration_months": 36,
"reason": "Litigation hold for case #12345"
}
Response:
{
"client_secret": "pi_xxx_secret_xxx",
"payment_intent_id": "pi_xxx",
"amount": 18.00
}Activate Legal Hold (After Payment)
POST /api/v1/legal-hold/activate
Content-Type: application/json
Authorization: Bearer {api_key}
{
"payment_intent_id": "pi_xxx",
"reason": "Litigation hold for case #12345"
}
Response:
{
"backup_uuid": "550e8400-e29b-41d4-a716-446655440000",
"backup_name": "production-db-2024-01-15",
"size_bytes": 10737418240,
"legal_hold": true,
"legal_hold_active": true,
"legal_hold_reason": "Litigation hold for case #12345",
"legal_hold_set_by": "legal@company.com",
"legal_hold_set_at": "2025-12-26T10:30:00Z",
"legal_hold_duration_months": 36,
"legal_hold_expires_at": "2028-12-26T10:30:00Z",
"legal_hold_paid_amount": 18.00,
"can_release": false
}Check Legal Hold Status
GET /api/v1/legal-hold/{backup_uuid}
Authorization: Bearer {api_key}
Response:
{
"backup_uuid": "550e8400-e29b-41d4-a716-446655440000",
"backup_name": "production-db-2024-01-15",
"size_bytes": 10737418240,
"legal_hold": true,
"legal_hold_active": true,
"legal_hold_reason": "Litigation hold for case #12345",
"legal_hold_set_by": "legal@company.com",
"legal_hold_set_at": "2025-12-26T10:30:00Z",
"legal_hold_duration_months": 36,
"legal_hold_expires_at": "2028-12-26T10:30:00Z",
"legal_hold_paid_amount": 18.00,
"can_release": false
}Release Expired Legal Hold
POST /api/v1/legal-hold/{backup_uuid}/release
Authorization: Bearer {api_key}
# Only works if legal_hold_expires_at has passed
# Returns 400 error if hold has not expired yet
Response (success):
{
"backup_uuid": "550e8400-e29b-41d4-a716-446655440000",
"legal_hold": false,
"can_release": false,
...
}
Response (error - not expired):
{
"detail": "Legal hold cannot be released until it expires. 365 days remaining (expires 2028-12-26)"
}List All Legal Holds
GET /api/v1/legal-hold/tenant/{tenant_id}/list
Authorization: Bearer {api_key}
Response:
{
"backups": [...],
"total_count": 5,
"total_storage_bytes": 53687091200
}Best Practices
Choose duration carefully: Since Legal Hold cannot be released early, select a duration that matches your actual legal or compliance requirements.
Involve legal counsel: Consult with your legal team before activating holds to ensure you're preserving the right data for the right duration.
Document reasons: Always provide clear, detailed reasons when enabling holds. This information is logged and may be needed for legal proceedings.
Monitor expirations: Set calendar reminders for hold expirations. After expiration, you can release the hold to reclaim subscription quota.
Budget appropriately: Factor Legal Hold costs into your compliance budget. The prepaid model ensures predictable costs.
Important Legal Notice
LOX Legal Hold is a technical tool to help preserve data. It does not constitute legal advice. Consult with qualified legal counsel to understand your organization's obligations regarding data preservation, litigation holds, and e-discovery requirements. The immutability policy is designed to ensure data integrity for legal proceedings, but you are responsible for determining appropriate durations and compliance requirements.
Ready to protect your critical data?
Legal Hold is available on Business and Enterprise plans. Protect your backups with prepaid, immutable storage that guarantees preservation for litigation and compliance.