Powered by Lexis+®
Jurisdiction(s):
United Kingdom
United Kingdom
View all Glossary Terms Related Content
CASE STUDY
“In some areas of research there were also significant time savings. You get to what you are looking for more quickly, which all goes to the value of the product.”
Harper McleodAccess all documents on RAM
RAM meaning
Published by a LexisNexis Dispute Resolution expert
What does RAM mean?
In legal practice, RAM (random access memory) is a device’s short‑term, volatile memory that stores data only while powered. It is central to digital forensics, eDisclosure/eDiscovery and incident response because live RAM can contain running processes, encryption keys, credentials and unsaved files.
RAM is not generally defined in legislation; it is a descriptive technical term used across IT, IP and criminal procedure. Copyright law does, however, address “temporary copies” created in RAM. In the UK, section 28A Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 provides an exception for transient or incidental copies integral to a technological process. Irish law implementing the EU Information Society Directive recognises an equivalent exception. The CDPA applies across England & Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
From an evidential perspective, RAM is volatile: powering down a device may destroy its contents. Investigators may take a live memory image (RAM dump) to preserve potential evidence, subject to lawful authority, necessity and proportionality, and strict chain‑of‑custody.
For data protection, personal data can reside in RAM; processing obligations under the UK GDPR and Irish GDPR may still apply, even where retention is transient.
In contracts and service descriptions, RAM denotes capacity/performance specifications for hardware, hosting and cloud services. Usage is broadly consistent...
Speed up all aspects of your legal work with tools that help you to work faster and smarter. Win cases, close deals and grow your business–all whilst saving time and reducing risk.
View the related News about RAM
NEWS
Unreasonable refusal of consent, reasonable endeavours and waiver in overage and section 106 planning obligations: lessons from Minerva v Greenland Ram (England and Wales)
Original news Minerva (Wandsworth) Ltd v Greenland Ram (London) Ltd [2017] EWHC 1457 (Ch), [2017] All ER (D) 154 (Jun) The Chancery Division found that the defendant company unlawfully blocked the claimant’s continuation of a construction scheme by declining to enter the requisite agreement with the local authority that would have permitted it to advance. The claimant was entitled to make its planning application at the time it did, and the defendant’s conduct amounted to a contractual breach by stopping the works from proceeding. What is the background to the case? Minerva (Wandsworth) Ltd obtained planning consent to redevelop the Ram Brewery site in Wandsworth, South West London, featuring a 34‑storey residential tower, and entered into a section 106 Town and Country Planning Act 1990 agreement obliging the delivery of affordable housing within the scheme. Minerva then sold the site to Greenland Ram (London) Ltd on terms allowing Minerva to submit an application to the local planning authority for an enhanced permission which, if approved, would...
10 July
Read More 
NEWS
Environmental law weekly update—UK, EU and international: climate, energy, chemicals, ESG, biodiversity, waste and water; key cases and enforcement (9 January 2025)
In this issue: Key developments and materials Air emissions and climate change Contamination and pollution Energy efficiency and buildings Energy for environmental lawyers Environmental disputes and proceedings Environmental enforcement and prosecutions Environmental information ESG and sustainability Hazardous substances and chemicals Marine Nature, biodiversity and habitat conservation Waste Waste producer responsibility regimes Water, flooding and drainage Daily and weekly news alerts New and updated content Key developments and materials End‑of‑year review 2024: the Environment team at LexisNexis® reflect on standout environmental law shifts across the year, spanning chemicals, climate change and related litigation, energy performance of buildings, environmental governance, ESG and sustainability, nature, biodiversity and habitat protection, waste and extended producer responsibility, and water. See News Analysis: Environmental law developments—end of year review 2024. Environment 2024 cases round‑up: this News Analysis highlights notable judgments for environment lawyers, including R (on the application of Friends of the Earth...
09 January
Read More 
