Imitation may be the sincerest form of flattery, but for Facebook, it's also proving to be the hardest competition.

According to an Associated Press report, the popular social network has found itself competing against doppelgangers in the native languages of several countries it is expanding into.

Take Vkontakte, a Russian social network that mimics Facebook's layout right down to the blue buttons. Then there's German competitor StudiVZ, which is facing a lawsuit claiming it stole Facebook's content.

Facebook currently has 18 foreign language editions with plans to role out 54 more. While sites like Vkontakte get more traffic in their native countries, Facebook feels it will ultimately prevail thanks to constant improvements and more resources. The company recently extended translation tools to developers, which will let Facebook members outside the U.S. access the website's popular applications.

However, Facebook's biggest hurdle in the battle to gain users may simply be an issue of familiarity.

"Facebook is American and Vkontakte is Russian -- that's the main difference," said Galina Ryazanova of Moscow. "It's going to be tough for Facebook to displace Vkontakte."