What is Bootleg Memes?

Bootleg Memes are redrawn or minimalist versions of popular meme formats, originally made in reaction to EU Article 13 copyright reform.

Where did Bootleg Memes come from?

The format started on Reddit in June 2018, with Redditor Yamezj's crude redraw on /r/dankmemes as the earliest known instance.

What does Bootleg Memes mean?

The name treats the redraws like off-brand knockoffs of famous templates, altered enough to be pitched as 'Article 13 compliant'.

How do you use Bootleg Memes?

Take a well-known meme, strip out the copyrighted imagery, and redraw or abstract it while keeping the punchline readable.

Is Bootleg Memes still popular?

The format peaked between 2018 and 2019 alongside the Article 13 debates, and /r/bootleg_memes still exists as an archive of the style.

Bootleg Memes

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Published August 16, 2026

Bootleg Memes are redrawn or heavily abstracted versions of popular meme formats, created as a protest joke against the EU's 2019 Copyright Directive and Article 13. The trend kicked off in June 2018 on Reddit and spread through YouTube and a dedicated /r/bootleg_memes subreddit.

Overview

Bootleg Memes, also called Article 13 Compliant Memes, are redrawn or minimalist recreations of popular meme formats made to sidestep copyright rules4. The image stays recognizable, but the original photography, logos, and characters get swapped for crude hand-drawn versions, blurred pixels, or labeled boxes1.

The style came out of European fears about EU copyright reform, specifically Article 13 of the 2019 Copyright Directive5. Making a meme 'compliant' turned into a running joke where creators butchered famous templates into barely-legible sketches while claiming the redraw kept them legally safe2.

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Origin & Background

Platform

Reddit (viral spread on YouTube)

Creator

Yamezj

Date

2018

In June 2018, the European Parliament Committee on Legal Affairs was preparing to vote on Articles 11 and 13, part of a broader copyright reform package that Reddit users worried would kill meme sharing across the EU5. The earliest known Bootleg Meme was posted on June 13th, 2018 by Redditor Yamezj to /r/dankmemes, a rough redraw of a familiar image macro that pulled more than 30,800 upvotes over six months1.

How It Spread

Within days of Yamezj's post, more redrawn, blurred, and stripped-down memes flooded Reddit. On June 24th, 2018, YouTuber Grandayy uploaded an 'Article 13-compliant' edit of the We Are Number One video where every character and prop was replaced by animated cards with text labels2.

Activity picked up again when the Copyright Directive was approved on September 12th, 2018. The next day, September 13th, /r/bootleg_memes launched as a dedicated hub for the format3. Meme Insider covered the trend on September 19th, 20184.

The final directive vote on March 26th, 2019 protected uploads for parody and pastiche, which covered memes and GIFs5. That decision set off another wave. On March 23rd, Redditor DmitryZaytcev posted a minimalist Drakeposting redraw to /r/memes that hit over 28,500 upvotes in six days6.

How to Use This Meme

A Bootleg Meme typically starts from a well-known template, then removes the original imagery. Common approaches include tracing the meme by hand in MS Paint style, blurring the source photo past recognition, or replacing every visual element with labeled shapes1. The joke is that the redraw stays just recognizable enough to read as the original while looking legally distinct2.