Weather-resistant hard coating composition and coated article

A weather-resistant hard coating composition to be used for direct coating on at least one surface of an organic resin substrate, said composition comprising the following components:

• (1) a silicone resin resulting from (co)hydrolysis and condensation of at least one selected from those alkoxysilanes represented by the following formulas (1-1), (1-2), and (1-3) or condensates of their partial hydrolyzates,
• (R1)m(R2)nSi(OR3)4-m-n (1-1)
• wherein R1 and R2 are independently a hydrogen atom or an unsubstituted or substituted monovalent hydrocarbon group, in which the substituent groups may be connected each other, R3 is an alkyl group having 1 to 3 carbon atoms, and m and n are independently 0 or 1, with m+n being 0, 1, or 2,
• (R4O)3-p(R6)pSi—R8—Si(R7)q(OR5)3-q (1-2)
• wherein R4 and R5 are independently an alkyl group having 1 to 3 carbon atoms, R6 and R7 are independently a hydrogen atom or an unsubstituted or substituted monovalent hydrocarbon group, R8 is an oxygen atom, phenylene group, or an unsubstituted or substituted alkylene group having 2 to 10 carbon atoms, and p and q are independently 0 or 1,
• X—[(R15)Si(R16)y(OR17)3-y]z (1-3)
• wherein X is a 1,3,5-trimethylcyclotrisiloxane residue, 1,3,5,7-tetramethylcyclotetrasiloxane residue, or isocyanurate residue, R15 is an alkylene group having 1 to 3 carbon atoms, R16 is a hydrogen atom or an unsubstituted or substituted monovalent hydrocarbon group, R17 is an alkyl group having 1 to 3 carbon atoms, y is 0 or 1, and z is 3 or 4;
• (2) a vinyl copolymer having in its side chain an organic ultraviolet-absorbing group and a reactive group selected from an alkoxysilyl group, hydroxyl group, epoxy group, carboxylic acid group, and amino group;
• (3) a curing catalyst;
• and
• (4) a solvent;
• wherein the silicone resin as component (1) and the vinyl copolymer as component (2) are present in such amounts in terms of solids that the ratio of (1)/(2) is from 10/90 to 50/50 by weight.