Totale+e−annihilation cross section in the charm continuum

In view of new experiments the theory of the $e^{+}$ $e^{\mathrm{-}}$ annihilation cross section in the kinematic region well above the charmonium region is reanalyzed, correcting previous inadequacies in the treatment of the renormalization group. The predictions agree well with the data but the experimental errors are still too large to provide a crucial test. The existence of resonances between ($q^2$ ${)}^{1/2}$=4 GeV and ($q^2$ ${)}^{1/2}$=4.5 GeV provides, however, compelling evidence that the value of the running charm-quark mass has been underestimated in the past.