That’s what a former employee of HP is saying. Karl Kamb, who is being sued by HP, filed his own lawsuit today that HP paid someone to spy on Dell just prior to their entry into the printer market. HP sued Kamb in 2005, saying that he was secretly involved in a rival company while still working and HP and that he stole secrets, resources and possibly money from HP.

Back around the end of 2002 when Dell was about to enter the inkjet printer market, HP allegedly paid Katsumi Iizuka, a former Dell president, to supply them with information. HP funneled those payments through a corporation that Iizuka set up. HP doesn’t deny that they hired him or that they paid fees to his company, they just deny that they were spying. Supposedly there are some emails where Iizuka gives out inside info like release dates for Dell printers. All this is just another headache for HP in their string of their troubles last year with spying.

HP accused of spying on Dell’s printer plans [CNET]