The business of fragrances copies (both in smell and trademark elements) was as big / important as the business of creating new, original creations. It was also an important business for fragrance companies (suppliers) and was not full described in recent papers on intellectual property (also a reason to explain why there is and will not be fragrance protection in France).
Bruno Court, was one of the leading companies in Grasse - raw materials and finished compositions. But, as was the case for other Grasse perfume houses, the company was not outside the business of "fake fragrances". Between 1948 and 1955 there were 6 trials against this company opened by several brands - Chanel, Caron, Bourjois, Coty, Lentheric, Molyneux.
Dragoco, well known for its creative side, was also into the business of "parisian inspiration". In their catalogue from late 50's there is a list of so called Incognito extracts - finished compositions. The names of the perfumes are not given, they are changed a little, but suggest what they were: Chanel No5, Crêpe de Chine, Mitsouko, Origan, Je reviens, Le Pirate, etc.
For me, the history of fragrance creation in the XXth century is not an easy task. It's hard to evaluate the artistry without the entire picture of what was done and what were the reasons behind a new perfume, not just behind the "big hits" or great legends. Even today, perfumer / creator / artist are not synonims. In the past Avon used to be something like the Zara of fragrances but now another known brand is working hard for this title.
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Fragrance is the 8th Art - Octavian Coifan - Le Parfum est le 8ème Art
