In https://web.archive.org/web/20160708085949/http://gmane.org/about.php https://web.archive.org/web/20160708085949/http://gmane.org/... (in the section titled

In https://web.archive.org/web/20160708085949/http://gmane.org/about.php https://web.archive.org/web/20160708085949/http://gmane.org/... (in the section titled "A Statement") Lars wrote he wouldn't "use any of the contents of the Gmane news spool for spamming, for advertisement, for sending mass mail, for gathering profiling information, or anything of that kind, or willingly allow anybody else to do the same". So I assume he wouldn't be fine with just making it all publicly downloadable but would want his successor to provide a similar guarantee.