Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh this evening used Twitter to deny charges made in a press release issued today by competitor Discount Shoe Warehouse (DSW) that Zappos had attempted to mislead consumers with unfair use of DSW store images and “service marks.”

Hsieh said, in response to DSW’s allegations, “Obviously Zappos would never intentionally do that.” He also said Zappos had not been contacted by DSW in relation to the claims, and the Zappos legal team had only became aware of the claims through the DSW press release.

According to the release, “the name DSW was being used (by Zappos) in multiple URLs, along with DSW store photographs, in an effort to mislead consumers into believing they were on a DSW related website. The site then links customers to the Zappos.com site.” The release says DSW “intend(s) to rigorously defend and protect our intellectual property and our brand against any sort of misuse,” and says DSW has therefore filed a suit in federal district court alleging that Zappos has infringed DSW service marks.

It was only a matter of time before a company’s commitment to transparency and openness on Twitter was put to the test, and it happened tonight to Zappos. Zappos certainly “slowed the bleeding” caused by the announcement, and it is impressive that Hsieh “stepped up” and talked openly about the situation. In the lightning fast social media age, what could be faster and more credible than getting onto Twitter with a quick announcement?

It may be morning before Zappos issues an official response. In the meantime, this quick response strategy allows Hsieh and Zappos to regain some control of the communications agenda after allegedly being blindsided by DSW.

Nice work, Tony.

Tags: tony, hsieh, zappos, dsw, discount shoe world, allegations, lawsuit, twitter