Network Solutions, Inc. has settled Federal Trade Commission charges that its deceptive marketing practices unlawfully tricked consumers into transferring their Internet domain name registrations to the company.

The terms of the settlement permanently bar Network Solutions from misrepresenting that a consumer’s domain name is about to expire or that the transfer of a domain name is actually a renewal. The order also requires the defendant to pay consumer redress pursuant to the terms of a previously settled class action lawsuit.

Network Solutions is the largest of more than 100 companies that compete to provide domain name registration services to consumers. These companies, called “registrars,” help consumers establish the addresses for their Internet Web sites. Consumers choose a second-level domain name for generic top-level domain names such as .com, .net., and .org (e.g. www.networksolutions.com) and Network Solutions registers that domain name with the appropriate “registry.” ...