I did make sure that the name was not stolen. I took every possible precaution, as I too was surprised that I was able to buy it for mid xxxx. The name is not stolen, and has only had one owner since 1996!
It just goes to show that if you dig deep, you can find a good deal out there, even if you are new at this.
As far as tm goes, I am just not sure why it would be worthwhile to register a tm. I don't see anyone with any ability to try and take it away, since it is such a generic word.