Los Angeles ( CNN ) -- Raw video of Michael Jackson 's last days is not covered by laws protecting journalists from court subpoenas , making it likely that Sony will have to let lawyers use its video in their defense of Dr. Conrad Murray , a judge said Thursday . Lawyers for Murray , who faces trial for involuntary manslaughter in the pop star 's death , argued that the unseen rehearsal video could show that Jackson was ill and physically weak . Prosecutors contend that Jackson died from an overdose of a surgical anesthetic that Murray gave him to induce sleep . Sony Pictures , which bought the video from Jackson 's estate , is fighting the subpoena from Murray 's lawyers for access to about 100 hours of video that was used to produce the `` This Is It '' documentary , released several months after the singer 's June 25 , 2009 , death . The judge has given the prosecution permission to show clips from the movie to jurors during the trial , which is scheduled to start in September , but the defense wants to use video left on the cutting room floor . Since Sony was under a contractual obligation with the estate to not use anything that showed Jackson in `` a negative light , '' the unused video may be helpful to the defense , Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Michael Pastor said . The judge gave Sony a week to work out technical details with the defense for a way they can view the raw video without the risk of it leaking . Sony 's lawyer said the public release of the raw video could hurt the studio 's plans to use it in other productions , such as an anniversary edition of the documentary . `` If they become part of the public record as an exhibit , we have a whole different problem , '' Sony attorney Gary Bostwick said . `` That would immediately become viral on TMZ or some other website . '' Defense lawyers were ordered to narrow their subpoena request for the video , which Pastor called `` remarkably over-broad . '' Michael Jackson hired video photographers to record his rehearsals as he prepared for his comeback concerts in London , scheduled for July 2009 . His estate later sold the video and documentary rights to Sony for about $ 80 million . Jackson was pronounced dead by an emergency room doctor at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center . The Los Angeles County coroner ruled that his death was caused by an overdose of propofol , a powerful surgical anesthetic , in combination with `` the contributory affects of the benzodiazepines . '' Murray , who was hired as Jackson 's personal doctor in the months leading up to the concert , was later charged with involuntary manslaughter in his death . `` Michael is not with us today because of an utterly inept , incompetent , reckless doctor , the defendant Conrad Murray , '' Los Angeles County Deputy District Attorney David Walgren said in his final arguments at Murray 's preliminary hearing in January . Murray 's lawyers suggested that a frustrated and sleepless Jackson may have self-ingested the fatal dose while the doctor was out of his bedroom . The defense is hoping the raw video will show Jackson 's weakness and frustration as the concert dates neared .
Dr. Conrad Murray 's lawyers want Sony to hand over all raw video of Jackson 's rehearsals . Score: 6 Murray 's involuntary manslaughter trial for Jackson 's death starts in September .