DeviantArt seeks to disqualify Crowell & Moring in Evox AI photo-training suit

What happened

DeviantArt asked a federal judge in Los Angeles on October 14, 2026 to disqualify law firm Crowell & Moring from representing plaintiff Evox Productions in Evox Productions LLC v. Stability AI et al (C.D. Cal., No. 2:26-cv-07201-CAS-RAO), the lawsuit alleging defendants violated copyright law by using Evox's automotive photographs to train AI models.

Key details

• DeviantArt, an online art community owned by Wix.com with its own AI image service DreamUp, says Crowell advised Wix and its subsidiaries from 2022 through 2026 on AI litigation, AI regulation, copyright issues, and DreamUp's launch and IP strategy.
• DeviantArt argues Crowell obtained "material confidential information" through that work and never terminated the client relationship; a pause in billable work does not turn a client into a former client, it contends.
• Crowell's general counsel said in a September letter that the firm had not performed work for Wix or its subsidiaries since 2024 and sees no conflict.
• Evox sued DeviantArt and several AI companies in July 2026 over alleged use of its photographs for AI training.

Status

Motion pending; judge has not ruled. This is a procedural development inside an existing AI-training copyright lawsuit, not a new suit.