According to the US, Chinese barriers to imports of legal US films, books and music have prompted a surge in fakes.
The US is asking the WTO to set up a panel to investigate further, after direct talks with China failed.
This is the fourth time the US has asked a WTO panel to resolve what is sees as unfair Chinese trade barriers.
The latest request argues that restrictions on US imports of copyrighted goods in China break rules that apply to China as a WTO member.
Piracy complaint
The US wants to eliminate Chinese import and internal distribution barriers that "significantly hamper the ability of US publishers and producers of audio-visual products to get their legitimate products into the Chinese marketplace under normal market conditions".
As well as breaking WTO rules, the US says the limits are a breach of rules under the General Agreement on Tariffs (GAAT) and the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS).
The latest move comes after the WTO launched a formal probe, following a US complaint about piracy in China in September, to examine claims that Beijing failed to tackle counterfeiting.
China's failure to apply copyright laws has caused US software, music and book publishers to lose billions of dollars in sales, the US alleged.
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