Silyl (meth) acrylate copolymers, processes for preparing the same, antifouling paint compositions containing the silyl (meth) acrylate copolymers, antifouling coating films formed from the antifouling paint compositions, antifouling methods using the antifouling paint compositions, and hulls or underwater structures coated with the antifouling coating films

A silyl (meth)acrylate copolymer (A-1) comprising:

• (a) silyl (meth)acrylate constituent units represented by the following formula (I) in amounts of 20 to 80% by weight:
• wherein R1 is a hydrogen atom or a methyl group, and R2, R3 and R4 may be the same or different and are each an alkyl group, a cycloalkyl group or a phenyl group,
• (b) acrylic unsaturated monomer constituent units represented by the following formula (II) in amounts of 0.01 to 40% by weight:
• wherein R5 is a hydrogen atom or a methyl group, Z is an oxygen atom or —NR7, when Z is an oxygen atom, R6 is a hydroxyalkyl or hydroxycycloalkyl group or a polyalkylene glycol group represented by the formula —(R8O)nH (wherein R8 is an alkylene group and n is an integer of 2 to 50), and when Z is —NR7, R7 is an unsubstituted alkyl group or an alkyl group substituted with any of a halogen atom, a hydroxyl group, an amino group, an acyl group and an alkoxy group, and R6 is a hydrogen atom, and
• (c) unsaturated monomer constituent units other than the constituent units (a) and (b) in amounts of 5 to 79.99% by weight,
• with the proviso that the total amount of the constituent units (a), (b) and (c) is 100% by weight,
• said silyl (meth)acrylate copolymer (A-1) having a weight-average molecular weight, as measured by gel permeation chromatography (GPC), of not more than 200,000.