BitTorrent, rich from a major round of funding, has bought a BitTorrent lightweight client uTorrent. Probably a small deal.
The Wired post speculates: The merger means that many of BitTorrent’s patented delivery innovations will be rolled into the µTorrent client. While that’s nice for users, the real reason for the deal may be that BitTorrent, which just inked some deals with Hollywood, needs a lightweight codebase for potential mobile, TV and other, non-PC markets.
Update: The official word is out: “The objective is to combine BitTorrent’s expertise in networking protocols with uTorrent’s high-performance design and compelling user interface (UI).”